Vampire's Prey
by ccrulz
Summary: This is a challenge story..vampirism is legalized with a twist, a lottery system is in place to feed Henry, Coreen is drawn and Vicki intervenes, twisted into it even more is the case Vicki gets, it's all related...
1. Chapter 1

"I still can't believe they legalized that, hell, that's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard of," Detective Mike Celluci snorted. Since Toronto had legalized and recognized the existence of vampires two years ago, things had changed drastically. Thankfully, due to the territorialism, only one vampire could be in the city at a time and theirs just happened to be the current resident Henry Fitzory, Duke of Richmond, bastard son of Henry VIII..oh joy, Mike had thought upon the announcement that he would be staying.

"They put him on a pedestal, Vic, " Mike huffed out one day during a visit to her office.

"Mike, in his defense, he has helped us rid the city of many undesireables, demons, unexplained things in general really and, " she pointed at him, "not to mention just plain, evil criminals," Vicki reminded him with a slight shrug.

"Yeah, and he's so dreamy," Coreen piped in while bringing the Smith folder to Vicki as requested.

"Great, Coreen, just great," Mike sighed," and now this lottery thing, I don't get it! Why can't he get a bag here or there?" Mike was referring to the system Toronto had devised to feed Henry, so to speak. Since his vampire nature had been outed, the residents also knew of his feeding habits. Many were less than thrilled upon realizing they might have been unknowing meals while others, women mostly of course, were thrilled with aspect of waiting in line. To alleviate hassles, the city officials had devised a volunteer lottery system. Each day, the volunteers who had placed their names in the pool waited anxiously to see who's phone rang. There was no shortage of people, however, there were strict requirements. No one sick, pregnant or those that had blood disorders could be in the lottery. Rules and regulations were strictly enforced. Volunteers were tested beforehand to make sure they were safe and healthy. A massive filing system was kept on hand as well as rules put in place that each person come in for testing every three months or they were dropped out of the system. Mike hated the system and really hated the fact that Vicki wouldn't tell him if she had put her name in or not. Vicki didn't really need to, Henry would have fed off of her anytime she offered but she had rarely offered and he never pushed.

"Mike, come on. You have to admit, having Henry around is nice and makes people feel safer. Besides, what harm is it to you? Are you in the lottery too?" Vicki teased.

"Aw hell no! Are ya dreamin'? Pfffftttt...no way in hell, Vicki. If you'll recall, his last round with me wasn't so pleasant," Mike snorted.

Vicki shook her head and laughed at Mike. He was so manly and worried about appearances. Many men were in the lottery, yes, many were gay but many were not. They had taken the challenge and oftentimes told Henry not to make it pleasurable, it was a rite of passage.

"Don't you think it's much safer to do things this way than for people to worry there is a vampire out there, every night, hunting, looking for food...hungry?" Vicki asked Mike, her eyebrow raised.

"I guess, whatever. Well, I gotta go, I'll see you later. Is uh..HE coming in later?" Mike asked uncomfortably.

"HE has a name, Mike and yes, Henry is coming in later." Vicki told him. After he left, Coreen sat in front of Vicki's desk, her eyes wide.

"Yes Coreen? Something bothering you?" Vicki asked.

"Kinda, I was just wondering, are you, you know..?"

"Am I??..." Vicki motioned with her hands in the air as if to say 'am I what'?.

"In the lottery? For Henry?" Vicki closed her eyes and sighed.

"Coreen, I'm not answering that question. You can wonder, ask and cajole all day long but it's no one's business. Besides, I'm not such a sweet person. My blood probably wouldn't be his most tasty meal," Vicki said over her shoulder as she put away a file. She felt a breeze, papers rustled, her hair blew a little and they heard a familiar voice.

"Now I wouldn't say that," Henry smiled.

"How would you know?" Vicki hid her embarrassment well. Henry had fed off of her in an emergency or two but she'd never thought Henry thought of her as a sweet dinner, little did she know.

"I don't think someone's personality reflects their...taste as you put it. And I have tasted you before, Vicki" he offered. Coreen stared at him as he sauntered toward Vicki.

"Coreen.." Henry nodded in her direction. She giggled and went back to her desk.

"So you're saying my personality isn't so sweet huh," Vicki stated. Henry was directly in front of her in a flash.

"I didn't say that, but you are a hard one to penetrate Vicki," he whispered. His face was inches from hers. Her heart raced in her chest, pounding wildly with him in such close proximity. She wasn't fearful but her desire for him had never waned, it had increased over time. It seemed the more she resisted, the more she desired him.

"Penetration an issue for you?" Vicki countered with a devilish grin. Their bantering always seemed to head toward the sexual nature.

"Not really, I have many skills," Henry's whispered. His lips were nearly touching hers, his hot breath rolling out and onto her face in a warm blanket of passion. Vicki was backed into her filing cabinet and eye to eye with Henry. His hands were on the cabinet on either side of her head. Tilting his head as if going in for the kiss, Vicki darted under his arms.

"I have no doubt Henry and I need those special skills of yours tonight," Vicki changed the direction of conversation, so she thought.

"Really. I have lots of specialized skills, Vicki, to which ones are you referring?" Again with that sexy smile.

"Wow..let me think, um..." Vicki tapped her chin and feigned being confused, "I don't know, maybe those powers of persuasion or your mind-altering abilities would be nice." Henry growled. Her stubborness was an aphrodisiac to him and he wanted so badly for her to come to him willingly. He decided a different approach might be in order.

Bowing, Henry answered, "As you wish m'lady." Vicki's eyes grew wide at this display of courtesy.

"Well, now, that's more like it. Bowing at my feet, hmm..I can handle that."

Vicki explained that the Smith case was not just your run of the mill cheating spouse. The man, it seemed, was also looking for someone to murder his wife.

"It appears his mistress isn't willing to wait," Vicki finished.

"That doesn't seem so different from others," Henry noted.

Vicki smiled, crossed her arms and said, "It isn't, unless the victim happens to be the mayor's daughter and the mistress is her own sister."

Henry shook his head, "Women."

"Women? What about men? He's got a wife already, why have a mistress and her sister no less?" Vicki was enraged, "Just because your father was a man-whore doesn't make it okay Henry, no matter what the time frame is."

"You think that's what I meant Victoria?" Henry's jaw clenched, "You think I just callously throw women away, never thinking of their feelings, desires, dreams..their heart? You don't know me very well then. I'll help you to keep this girl from being murdered, but, realize, you don't know the whole story. Granted, murder is a little drastic but what is their marriage like? Maybe he feels trapped, unloved, unhappy or even abused," Henry offered.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me?! Henry..you know what," she threw up her hands, "Never mind, I'm not going to argue with you about this. We'll have to agree to disagree, ready?" Vicki grabbed her jacket and her bag of tricks, formerly known as the 'stake-out' bag but Henry seemed to dislike the term immensely so she'd agree to call it something else.

"This should be peachy.." Vicki mumbled.

Henry watched her stalk away, her ass swaying every so slightly and just right..smiling he said.."yes it should.."


	2. Stake Out

Vicki was rather silent during their drive. She was utterly disappointed with Henry's seemingly cold and misplaced feelings regarding this poor woman's life. Men were useless she decided. Her father proved that point rather loud and clear and as yet, no other man had proven otherwise. While Mike was loving, he also wanted to change Vicki and that was just something that wasn't going to happen. Henry sensed her anger and let her stew. He knew his pleading to the man's plight, or unknown plight, would fall on deaf, stubborn ears.

"This it?" Henry asked as the pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

"Yes, it is," Vicki said curtly as she reached for her bag. Pulling out night goggles, something someone had mysteriously donated to her business although she suspected who the anonymous donor might be, she put them to her eyes trying to get a feel for what was going on.

"What's the story here?" Henry asked as she watched.

"Supposedly, every night he comes to this apartment. Apparently, he has some little fuck nest set up here.." Henry interrupted.

"That's nice, oh delicate flower," he shook his head and grinned.

Vicki shrugged, "It is what it is," she continued, "so anyway, he's got her set up here while the sister, his WIFE, goes to her college classes at night. The sister, his MISTRESS, arrives promptly at," she looked at her lighted watch that, just like the goggles, had mysteriously appeared on her desk one day with a note that read, "See the time in a different light," uh huh, "seven p.m. and," Vicki put her goggles up," right on time, there she is." She heaved an unhappy and irritated sigh.

"This is just.." She trailed off. Henry watched with interest when the woman exited her vehicle. Vicki focused on the woman entering the building while Henry focused on the car the woman had exited.

"There she goes, little Ms. Skank," Vicki mumbled. Henry, still focused on the car, put his hand on Vicki's arm.

"What?" she took the goggles down but Henry put them back up and turned her head toward the BMW the sister had come from.

"Henry, she's out of the car. What am I supposed to be...holy shit. HOLY shit.." Vicki's mouth gaped. There was a person in the other car.

"She's planning something isn't she? She's setting up her brother-in-law..damn. This isn't just cut and dried," Vicki set her mouth and frowned.

"Never is, Victoria. There are always two sides to the story," Henry told her triumphantly.

"Never said there wasn't but cheating is never the answer, leave, be happy with whoever you do but don't cheat, that's wrong on so many levels. And you wonder why we don't trust men," Vicki snorted.

"Are you saying I'm not trustworthy?" Henry had edged closer to Vicki.

"N..no I never said that, I'm just saying people in general, well yeah I guess I am saying men in general seemed to take relationships for granted sometimes," Vicki felt him moving a little closer, his breath on her neck and face. The close proximity made her heart skip a beat, even race a little. This reaction was not lost on Henry and he enjoyed knowing what his mere presence did to her.

"I agree, if you don't love someone, get out. Don't hurt them by having an affair but you see Victoria, it isn't always that simple. There are other's lives at stake and many feel obligations to things unnecessarily. They feel others will judge them when in fact, the ones that will judge them have no concept of what they must face on a daily basis, they only see what is allowed to be seen and therefore, have no firsthand knowledge of the pain these people are suffering. Am I condoning infidelity? Of course not, I abhor it, am I condoning leaving someone you do not love, no matter the consequences and outcome because you seek peace and happiness? Most definitely, that is a given. If you are not in love, what's the point of staying? You're not only hurting yourself but the others involved as well. Get out, find happiness and enjoy life. Now, that being said, murder is a little on the extreme side and if there is indeed someone in that car, I suspect that the sister and this person are misguiding this poor man into doing something horrible for some other type of gain. So, before you rush to judgement, my dear Victoria, let's see what unfolds and find out who the other occupant in the car is. In fact, let's get Coreen to do some background checking on Mr. Smith, shall we?" Vicki was entranced with his speech and had to shake her head to respond because it was a rare thing to see Vicki Nelson at a loss for words. He leaned back into his seat and Vicki realized her breathing had become shallow and was coming in short pants. She was rather embarrassed and thankfully, didn't have a clue Henry could sense her desire for him.

"Uh..yeah..yeah, that's a great idea, I'll call her," Vicki dialed Coreen and within ten minutes, Coreen was calling back with some interesting information.

"Seems our cheater is in over his head. There was an article on the mayor in one of those sleezy tabloids and in that article, it clearly states that he was not fond of his son-in-law. The mayor states he was a lazy, ignorant and simple man, not nearly good enough for his daughter. It also states the mayor threatened to disown his daughter if she didn't divorce him but in the prenup, it stated if there were any type of dissolution of marriage within the first five years, all properties and any children born of the union would go to the husband. So, I wonder.." Vicki thought for a moment then started for her door.

"Whoa, where are you going?" Henry grabbed her arm.

"I think I know who's in that car?" Vicki said triumphantly.

"The mayor?"

Vicki smiled, "Mrs. Cheater..."


	3. Thoughts and Plots

Henry tilted his head and smiled that crooked, sexy grin. Vicki was at the top of her game when she investigated anything. She was diligent, determined and most of all, always excited to close the case as quickly as possible to prove her worth.

"You think it's his wife, her sister?" Henry asked quietly as they snuck around the car.

"Yep," Vicki whispered although Henry's vampiric hearing could have heard an even quieter sound," I think that two sweet sisters are up to something or, daddy put them up to something and this poor man.."

"Whoa, whoa," Henry put his hand up, "now he's a poor man?" He gave her a smug look.

"Look, like I said, cheating and murdering are bad enough, but conniving bitches, I've got a major problem with that," Vicki snuck close enough that even without her goggles she could indeed see the other occupant was Mrs. Cheater, as Vicki had called her.

"Wow, that's incredible," Vicki shook her head.

"What's the motive?" Henry suddenly asked.

"Whaddya mean what's the motive?" Vicki hadn't quite thought that far but was working on it as soon as Henry put the thought into her head with his question.

"You mean she can't divorce him so why not catch him in a murder-for-hire scheme thereby getting her out of the supposed prenup?" Henry asked.

"Bingo," Vicki playfully slapped his chest with the back of her hand, "you're gettin' to be a pretty good PI Mr. Undead." Vicki was quick on the draw with her pet names this evening. Vicki hoped it was going to be that simple but she had a nagging suspicion it might not be.

Henry pursed his lips and shook his head. Vicki had such a way with words. There was no explanation for why he put up with it other than he had to be madly in love. How could he be madly in love with her? She wouldn't let him in. Still, Henry had only been in love two other times in his life and he knew that's what this was, deep, true love. Hopefully one day, she would give in to him.

They continued their surveillance until the husband left for the evening. Capturing the moment on video and audio, Vicki knew the investigation would not only affect the marriage of the mayor's daughter but the mayor himself. If in fact the mayor was involved, how scandalous that would be.

"By the way, who hired you for this case? It surely couldn't have been..what did you call her? Mrs. Cheater was it?" Henry asked.

"Nope, it was someone from the mayor's office," she replied non-chalantly. Henry liked the mayor. It was his pushing that helped the law pass ensuring his safety.

"You do realize this setup could go deeper than you expect?" Henry asked.

"What do you mean deeper?"

"You said 'someone' from the mayor's office, who was it? Is it someone out to GET the mayor or protect him?"

Vicki thought for a moment and then realized she'd never actually met the person, just spoke to him on the phone. Payment had been transferred in from another bank and they never said who they were, she just assumed they worked for the mayor.

"That will be an interesting side note to be sure," she mumbled.

"Personally," Henry said as he started the car," I'd like to know for sure. If the mayor is being sabotaged, I'd like to know why."

"Who's paranoid now?" Vicki laughed.

"It's no laughing matter, Vicki. Have you forgotten the resistance from some of the religious groups that felt I was demonic?" Henry's face was locked into an expression mixed with concern and doubt.

"Jeez, Henry, I did forget. You certaintly are serious and clearly this is disturbing you. Don't worry, I'll find out okay?" Vicki started to wonder about her initial reaction and the motive she thought she had right away. After a bit of silence during the drive back, Vicki had a sudden thought.

"Wait, do you think rather than the mayor's office, it was someone from one of the radical religious groups and they are thinking they can repeal the law if the mayor is gone? Is that what's bothering you Henry?" Vicki awaited his response but she didn't really need one after seeing his reaction.

His hands gripped the steeringwheel, his white knuckles turning whiter and his eyes brooding as he stared straight ahead into the dark night.

"That is always a possibility," he finally said quietly.

"Well, tell you what? That will be the rest of the case okay? I'll investigate exactly where the money came from, how's that? Well, that's after I figure out who's trying to kill who and why."

"You have your ways, I have mine," he responded.

"I don't think I like the sound of that and besides, I thought we were partners. Are you going to keep things from me? I don't do well with deceitfullness, Henry."

"I'm aware of that but I must know. My life may depend on it."

Vicki stared into the night, seeing nothing. The thought of Henry losing his life was too much to bear but that was a thought she would keep to herself.

"Yeah, I know..."


	4. And The Winner Is

The night sooned turned into a sunrise forcing Henry to head home to safety. Vicki promised him she would find out what was going on.

"I trust you Vicki," Henry had told her as he left for the day. Those words played through Vicki's mind as she showered before getting some sleep. The hot water rolled over her, her eyes closed and she thought of Henry. She'd had many thoughts about Henry and didn't want to admit them to herself even, much less to him. She wished she could let herself go but knew that Henry was just like any other man, prince, vampire or not, he was no different. Imaging him as a sweet, kind and caring man was putting him into another category..impossibly wonderful. Shaking that thought away, Vicki continued to shower but soon, other thoughts crept into her mind. What kind of lover would Henry be? Would he be aggressive and forceful, taking what he needed first or caring, gentle and considerate? Soon, she found herself touching places that had long been neglected. She pretended it was Henry, what was the harm? It wasn't as if it would ever happen, she lied to herself. Within just moments, her body was shuddering and shaking from her self-infliction. Her sighing was brought on by an unfulfilled completion. Somberly, she finished showering and stepped out. Her big white, fluffy towel fit around her nearly twice and she shivered not from the cold but from her emotional distress. Why was she worried about Henry? He was lecherous, she knew that. He fed off of the entire population of Toronto, had sex with random women and never gave her a second thought other than as a conquest, right? Right. That was her justification in keeping her heart closed, safety. You can't get hurt if don't let someone in. Still, she knew that taking care of her basic physical needs weren't always going to be enough but letting someone in might never work for her. It was easier to be alone, so she thought.

Flopping on the couch in her office, she looked at the notes, studied the video and listened to the audio from their evening. During one particular clip, she thought she recognized a familiar voice. Rewinding the tape, she was sure of it. It was the caller, the one who had hired her and paid her off.

"Gotcha," Vicki smiled triumphantly. Sighing, she lay back and fell quickly into a sleep full of Henry. Her next memory was Coreen waking her and the smell of hot coffee.

"Vicki..hey..you're moaning, are you okay?" Coreen's face came into focus as Vicki rubbed her eyes.

"Coreen..what time is it?" she yawned. Then it struck her, did Coreen say she was moaning? Vicki groaned slightly.

"It's only eleven, what time did you get to sleep?" Coreen handed her a cup of hot coffee. Vicki thanked her and inhaled the intoxicating smell.

"About six, I'm good though," she shuffled into her back room to throw on some clothes and pull her hair into a ponytail.

"Hey, got something on the Smith case last night," Vicki called to Coreen through breaks in brushing her teeth.

"Is it interesting?" Coreen asked.

"Yep," Vicki walked back into her office to see Coreen staring at her cell, her face blanched white.

"Coreen? What is it?" Vicki went to her assistant and stared down.

"Holy.." Vicki stopped short.

"Coreen, you can't do this you know," Vicki told her sternly.

"Why not? It's not like you offer, besides, I put my name in," Coreen was giddy. Her cell had a text telling her that her number had been drawn for Henry's feeding this evening.

"Because, Coreen, it would seem.." Vicki searched for the right word.

"Don't say 'not right' cuz everyone else in this town does it and you don't seem to care, why now?" Coreen huffed.

"Because, Coreen, you're friends with Henry. Why would you do that?" Vicki was slightly disturbed and did nothing to hide it. She hoped Coreen would accept it was simply the idea of their closeness to Henry but in her heart, Vicki wanted to protect Coreen too.

"You're just jealous," Coreen smiled.

"No I am not," Vicki busied herself with booting her computer up.

"Yes, you are. I have to go have my blood drawn anyway, I'll be back in about an hour," Coreen was getting giddier, if that was possible. Vicki hated giddy.

"Whatever, Coreen."

Coreen nearly skipped out of the office. As soon as she was gone, Vicki called Dr. Mohadevan.

"Yeah, it's me. Coreen is headed your way...yes, she did...look, I need to call in that favor.." Vicki bit her lip. Deep down, she knew this was wrong, it's what Coreen wanted but she couldn't let her. Coreen would never agree to let Vicki take her place so this was her only option.

The question was, who would take her place?

Within the hour, Coreen came back not only dejected but angry as well. She slammed her purse down on her desk, marched into Vicki's office and stomped her foot.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that I can't donate, ever!" Coreen was more angry than Vicki had ever seen. Vicki almost regretted her decision then pushed the thought back, this was for the best, wasn't it?

"What? Why?" Vicki put her best cop face on and waited to see just exactly what the good doctor had told her.

"It seems," Coreen huffed, "my childhood anemia has returned with a vengeance." Her shoulders slumped and she looked as though she might cry.

"Why now? It doesn't make sense, it isn't fair!" Coreen was puzzled.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Did you call them already?" Vicki sighed. At least Rajani had been fortunate enough to come up with something Coreen had been afflicted with prior.

"Oh..no, I will though," Vicki stopped her.

"I'll do it, you go get to work on this," Vicki handed her a disc, "I want you to look at it closely and see if you see anything out of the ordinary. I'm having a difficult time seeing the edges," Vicki hated admitting her handicaps but Coreen handled it with grace and Vicki thought it might pump her up a little. She felt somewhat guilty for causing Coreen undue stress so this would make up for it, she hoped it would anyway.

"Thanks, it will take me out of my depressive state, maybe," she shuffled off to her desk. After Coreen was out of earshot, Vicki picked up the phone.

"Yeah..it's me, so..how did you know?" Vicki waited for Rajani's answer. Her eyes grew wide with her response to her question.

"Are you sure? Did you tell her that too? Okay, yeah...I will, thanks," Vicki hung up the phone, leaned over and looked at Coreen.

The doctor had found something else in Coreen's bloodwork too....


	5. The Greater Good

"So it's going to work out, right?" The man asked the woman.

"Yes, all is working out well, we have one minor snag but that will be taken care of too," the woman told him.

"What snag?"

"It seems someone has tipped off an investigator and I'm afraid she will be meddling where she doesn't need to be. Don't worry, we will take care of her," the woman assured him.

"I certainly hope so, we must get rid of him," the man growled.

"We will."

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Henry's first breath told him that Vicki was in his condo and by the slow, steady rhythm of her heart, he suspected she was asleep. Padding softly into his living room, there she was, lying on her side on the couch, her hair covering her face slightly, her hands underneath her face and her legs curled up to her stomach. Sitting on the coffee table, he watched her for a few moments before trying to wake her. Her beauty was stunning even in sleep, if not moreso. She looked vulnerable and soft. Henry smiled slightly then frowned. The pain of wanting her was sometimes too much for him to bear.

"Vicki," he said softly, gently shaking her.

"Mmm..." she stirred enough to realize she was Henry's condo and remembered why she came.

"Henry..hey," she sat up and stretched, "sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Not a problem, but I do have a bed you know," he smiled a half-crooked grin.

"I"m aware of that but it seemed to be occupied," Vicki tilted her head and licked her lips before continuing, "I'm here because you need to be fed."

Henry froze, then blinked and unnecessarily took a deep breath.

"You were in the lottery?" he asked incredulously.

"No," she shook her head, "Coreen was drawn but she has some issues so I came instead. You need to be fed, not like I haven't donated before so I thought...." Henry stopped her. He didn't want her to come to him this way, he wanted it to be willing. He assumed this was just a way of controlling Coreen, not offering in the way he wished.

"You thought you'd just run on over here and offer? Thanks Vicki but I'll pass. I fed this morning before going to bed, I'll be fine tonight," he got up and headed for his bedroom.

"Wait," Vicki followed him, grabbed him and turned him around. It was then she noticed he was in pajama pants only. His chest was fully exposed, all the fine lines, the washboard abs and that vee that pointed the way to heaven. Shaking her head, she regained her compsure.

"I thought you weren't supposed to feed outside of the lottery?" Vicki was confused.

"Yes, I can, if I have a willing participant," once again, Henry headed for his bedroom and once again, Vicki stopped him.

"So...who was this willing participant, out of curiosity?" Vicki tried to be uninterested but it didn't work well.

"Are you jealous?" he smiled and drew her closer. Instinctively, she put her hands on his chest for balance, her body touched his and he was cool yet warm too.

"Uh..no.." she shrugged, "just wondering." She tried to look everywhere but at his fine body but if she looked into his eyes, she thought she might just explode without so much as another touch.

"Hmmm..alright then. It was an older woman, mid-fifties maybe, waiting for the bus, she recognized me and offered, I of course, wiped her mind afterwards in case you're also wondering that, " Vicki mouthed a silent 'oh' and licked her suddenly dry lips again. Her face flushed when the memory of her shower ran through her head.

"Anything else?" he inquired.

"Uh..no..guess not," she pulled away, then snapped her fingers, "wait, got something on the Smith case. Coreen looked over the video really well and I listened to the audio, think we found a connection."

"Let me get dressed," he started away then called back without looking, "care to help?"

Vicki stiffened, cleared her throat and said, "No," softly. She'd like to undress him but that thought she kept to herself. She had to tell herself not to be too disappointed he didn't want to feed. Wondering what it would be like with him in that situation was very appealing to her, what would it be like.

She might never get to know.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

The woman plotted and planned knowing that she had to succeed so he could succeed. It was a tangled web of deceit she was weaving but somewhere withing herself, she was deluded into thinking she was doing the right thing. Some might have to die, others might just have to suffer but in the end, it was for the greater good.

That was a subjective thought.....


	6. An Offer

Coreen was still in a huff as she prepared to leave for the night. She didn't feel well, was tired and still somewhat upset over her inability to offer Henry dinner. Vicki had made Henry promise not to tell Coreen he knew. Henry and Vicki arrived at the office together and tried to act as if nothing was amiss. Coreen averted her eyes assuming Henry had fed from someone else. She felt very inadequate at that moment. Vicki saw the pain in her eyes and while she felt somewhat guilty for calling the doctor, Coreen would have still been unable to feed Henry.

"Hey guys. Vicki, you don't mind if I leave do you? I've left the notes about case on your desk," Coreen pointed.

"Sure Coreen, go ahead, we'll talk tomorrow," she told her assistant. Vicki was still unsure how she would tell Coreen the news Dr. Mohadevan had entrusted her with.

"Thanks, night," Coreen gathered her things and left without looking at either of them.

"Poor girl," Vicki sighed when she was gone. Henry furrowed his brow.

"She's this upset over it?" Henry could sense her emotional strain as she left Vicki's office.

"No, well...yes but there's something else that she doesn't know too, I have to tell her tomorrow so she can get to the doctor," Vicki shared with Henry the information Dr. Mohadevan had given her. Henry was quite suprised and wondered how Coreen would react.

"Does she have family?" Henry asked. Vicki thought for a moment and suddenly felt very guilty that she'd never thought to ask Coreen one single thing about herself. While Vicki was an excellent friend, she sometimes did not reciprocate the listening aspect of her relationships. Vicki tended to be demanding and shut off sometimes. It wasn't intentional nor malicious it was just her personality. She never let herself get too deep into things or too attached. It was her safety net.

"Damn, I have no idea, guess I'll find out tomorrow. Let's have a look at her notes, " Vicki and Henry poured over the information Coreen had left them. After playing the audio for Henry, he felt knew who was involved too.

"This is deeper than we thought. Maybe we should get Mike involved, " Vicki made a face.

"Wow, you want to get Mike inolved. That's new," Vicki snorted.

"Vicki, this is serious. I think this is directed toward me," Henry frowned.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Prince Henry, it's always about you isn't it?" Vicki said sarcastically.

"Fine, I'll handle things then. You need to be careful too, you may be inolved indirectly and if they are coming for me, you might be in the line of fire," Henry started to leave.

"Henry, wait," Vicki stopped him, "I"m sorry, you're right. I'm not taking this seriously. I'll call Mike right now and get his opinion."

"Good," Henry went back to reading Coreen's notes and studying the photos she'd printed off. Around the edges of the video Vicki had shot, there was a slight figure in the shadows. Coreen was able to freeze it and print it out. The face was obscured but along with the audio of a man telling a woman to take care of things, Henry figured he knew who it might be as did Vicki.

"Okay," Vicki hung the phone up, "Mike's on his way."

Henry eyed Vicki and thought to himself how badly he wanted her. He wisely kept those thoughts to himself. He often wondered if she knew how his feedings were. With nothing but time until Mike arrived, he decided to ask.

"Do you wonder?" Henry asked.

"Wonder what?"

"The lottery, the feedings, do you wonder how things go for me, how I do it so to speak? What it's like for me or the other party," Henry studied Vicki's face, listened to her heart rate and watched her pupils. Vicki was well aware of Henry's feeding habits prior to the lottery. He chose his meals, sometimes enjoying them much more than she'd liked and other times just feeding and moving on.

Vicki shrugged, hell yes she'd wondered, did she want to tell him that though?

"Well, I guess," she finally responded.

"Let's make a deal, shall we?" Henry offered.

"What kind of deal Monty?" Vicki was referring to Monty Hall of Let's Make a Deal. Henry was a huge fan of game shows, especially the older ones.

"After this case is over, how about you let me take you out on a real date? Then afterwards, if you're comfortable with it, I will show you how my feedings go, or rather how I'd like them to be all the time, how's that sound?" His sexy grin accompanied by a twinkle in his blue eyes made Vicki's heart skip a beat and she prayed he didn't notice.

Vicki thought for a moment. She assumed his feedings were very sexually oriented, full of passion with certain people or maybe even just gruff and forceful, no sex at all. She also assumed Henry was arrogant, self-centered and sure of himself. She never saw him as the regal man he still was, just plain arrogant. Underneath her thoughts of Henry being arrogant and real, she knew that he was also tender and sensitive but admitting that would mean she would need to open herself to him. Opening herself to someone wasn't something Vicki did often if at all.

"What the hell, why not?" she shrugged. By the time the case was over, she hoped it would be a new lottery night and if she had to, she could wiggle out of it.

Henry was thrilled to have gotten her to agree rather than take her by force or in a lottery system. The question remained, could he convince her he wasn't what she expected?

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Where ya goin' Mike?" Kate Lam asked when she noticed him leaving.

"Same place you should be headed," he answered with his most genuine smile, "home."

"Uh huh, that call wasn't from the great Vicki Nelson?" Kate raised and eyebrow.

"Nope, not this time," Mike lied, "Night Kate."

"Night, Mike," Kate sighed becase somehow, she knew he was lying. After watching him leave, she grabbed her things and decided tonight was a good night for stalking.


	7. Freak Squad

Upon arriving at Vicki's office, Mike sighed when he saw Henry first.

"Why does it always have to be the freak squad?" he asked, his voice dripping with disgust.

"Actually, Mike it's not," Vicki told him. She gave him quick synopsis of the case to which Mike hmm'd and huh'd quite often without saying anything. When she was done, Mike filed through their notes and pictures.

"I think we have something rather large at hand here, we need to look into the suspect you have in mind first then move from there, don't you think?"

"You're going to help us, just like that." Vicki stated with snap of her fingers.

"Why not?" Mike shrugged.

"Because, Mike, you don't usually do that. You know, the 'freak squad' issues and all," Vicki gestured in quotation marks when she said freak squad. Mike rolled his eyes.

"This isn't freaky for a change. Surprisingly, it's normal. And to top it off, this may involve major players and while I'm not thrilled about the whole legalizing of vampire things either, I'm not into murder," Mike responded.

"Thanks Mike," Vicki bobbed her head in his direction.

"You're welcome. Can I take the disc to see if my guys can clean it up a bit, just for verification?" Mike held out his hand and Vicki dropped the disc into his open hand. Henry stayed silent throughout the exchange. He was taken aback by Mike's willingness to help.

"I'll give you a call Vic...Henry," Mike nodded in his direction before leaving.

Vicki was impressed with Mike's professional behavior, for a change.

"Now, where would you like to eat?" Henry offered his arm.

Vicki frowned at him, "Uh..case not over mister."

"I know it's not but aren't you hungry for dinner, in general?"

"Oh..right, sure why not? How about some burgers?" Vicki shrugged.

After a bit of back and forth, they settled on Vicki's favorite burger joint. When they arrived, Vicki wanted to sit outside where the night air was warm enough to be comfortable but cool enough to smell good too. Vicki laughed while she ate, enjoying Henry's company much more than she anticipated.

"Would you like to walk for a bit before I take you home?" Henry offered.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," she took his arm and they walked into the night.

The two men watching were pleased to see they were headed away from the lights and crowds and into the park area. When they reached the park, Henry and Vicki sat on a bench and watched the young lovers walking hand in hand in the dark of night, nuzzling, giggling and being affectionate. Henry lazily draped his arm around Vicki's shoulders as she shivered when the night air got cool.

"Don't worry, not trying anything," Henry smiled. Vicki shook her head and leaned into him just a little, couldn't hurt she thought.

They chatted about random things until Vicki suddenly asked him about his life in Tudor times.

"What was it like?" she asked.

"It was suffocating really," his eyes took on a far off look as he talked, as if he were a million miles away.

"How so?"

"You were told how to dress, when to eat, " he turned to her, "who to love." With a serious tone, Henry told Vicki, "You woudn't have survived," Vicki said, "nuh uh," she shook her head in agreement. Then Henry added, " How can you make someone love someone else? " He turned back to stare into the night.

"You can't, they have to come to you willingly, open their heart and soul to you," Vicki answered non-chalantly taking Henry by surprise.

Henry turned to face her, "I'm impressed."

"What..think I don't know what love is? I do," her voice was an octave higher. Vicki shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat wishing so badly she'd said nothing at all. Henry chuckled and continued, "It was a time of discovery too. The world was changing, people were changing, wars were always being fought. It was so different then. No one was worried about who had the most of what, it was survival actually. Of course royalty were treated as such but people were happier most times. When I used to sneak into the village and hang out, as they would say now, I was welcomed and enjoyed things. The families were loving, caring, fun really. They had only the basics, what they needed to survive and yet, they were happy." Henry seemed so forlorn Vicki hated to continue her line of questioning but this was the most intimate conversation they'd had about Henry's previous life and she was truly interested.

"So what happened when you met her?" Vicki refused to say Christina's name.

"I thought I was in love, willing to do anything," Henry's face changed.

"You thought?"

"Yes, but I realized, many many years later, she was manipulating me. I never loved her, I was in love with her persona, the thought of her. A strong woman would not manipulate a man, nor vice-versa, it's not right. I was young...." Vicki interrupted, "and horny.."

"Yes, I was hormonal," Henry corrected with a grin, "and stupid. At the time, it all seemed so right. Now, my decision to continue my life forever seems so wrong. I wonder sometimes though, is there a silver lining or not?"

Vicki opened her mouth to speak then closed it, smiling slightly because she knew in her heart that she did feel something for him but wasn't quite ready to express her feelings. The silver lining would be that fact that Henry would not be here with her had it not been for his liason with Christina. Henry stiffened and bolted into a sitting position on full alert.

"What is it?" Vicki squinted but of course couldn't see a thing.

"Someone is here," he growled.

Before he could react, something was slammed into his chest, Vicki's mouth was covered with a large, thick hand and a rag soaked in what she recognized as chloroform. Vicki and Henry fought with every bit of strength they possessed but lost the battle within seconds. Both went still and the two were whisked away in a van. During the struggle, Vicki's cell fell out of her pocket and instantly dialed Mike's number as the last number called. He could hear the struggle on his end and yelled her name over and over.

"Vicki! Vicki! Vic! What's going on!?" Mike signaled for Dave to track her last call.

Kate swirled to face Mike.

"I told you, I told you when I caught you there it was a bad idea to help her Mike, you're going to lose your job," Kate reprimaned him.

"You know, no one told you to involve yourself in my affairs, Detective Lam," Mike spat out. Kate's face fell. Mike had never been rude or impolite in that way before. She knew she upset him but this was beyond Mike's normal behavior, even where Vicki was concerned.

"Mike.I.."

"Save it, Kate. Vicki and Henry are in trouble, go about your business I'll go about mine.." Mike said coldly.

Mike hoped he could find them before it was too late....


	8. Captives

Vicki's awoke with a pounding headache in a dark, damp room. Her glasses were missing, 'damn' she muttered out loud, her head hurt and she was pissed. The floor felt cool and hard, concrete she assumed. A basement maybe? she thought as she felt her way around. Softly, she whispered Henry's name.

"Henry, Henry are you here?" she could smell his musky man scent but couldn't see him yet. Hearing a moan, she followed it until she felt a foot. Going upward, she then reached a leg and then..whoops..moving onward and upward, she was pleased to see it was Henry. Immediately recognizing the feel of the Illuminacion Del sol, she tried to pull it free.

"No..no..that hurts, please," Henry moaned.

"Who took us?" she asked. She sidled up beside him and took him in her arms to hold him. She knew from the previous experience this was painful for him and felt terrible. Who the hell had another one of these? And where was the damn key, she wondered.

"I'll get us out of here Henry," she reached for her cell and realized it was gone.

"Fuck!" she muttered loudly.

"That is your word of choice isn't it?" Henry weakly attempted a joke.

"'fraid so," she kissed his cheek lightly. Her heart ached knowing this was a precarious situation. He would start to get hungry soon and if this wasn't removed, it would kill him or he might kill her in the process. Laying him down gently, she felt her way along the wall until she found the door.

"Henry do you have your cell?" she asked suddenly remembering she hadn't checked for his. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

"Great," she reached for the light it created and looked, "no signal. Wonderful," she sighed.

She continued to feel around the edges of the door hoping that she could find a way out but unfortunately, a locked handle was all she found. Yanking, pulling, huffing and sighing did nothing to open the door but increased her anger tenfold.

"Henry, feed a little, keep your strength up," Vicki offered her wrist to him but he turned his head away.

"No, not like this," He was maintaining but on shaky ground at best.

"Please, just a little, if it gets too bad, you might not be able to stop," she pleaded. Henry turned back to her. In the dark, he could see the beautiful glow of her blood, her aura and he heard her heart beating wildly in her chest, the steady thumping rang familiar in Henry's ears. Knowing how sweet she tasted made him hunger for her that much more and while he wanted things to be different when he finally got to show her how he could be fed in a proper way, he also knew he couldn't let himself be too far gone. Taking her wrist in his hand, his fangs descended and his eyes went black. Vicki felt and heard the pop as they pierced her soft skin. Within seconds, a warmth spread throughout her body, no pain, just warmth running through her veins. Parts of Vicki that hadn't been warmed by a man in a very long time were rather heated and soon, she released and sighed in contentment. If that's what feeding him meant, maybe she could be his primary meal as often as he needed. Vicki came down to reality when she realized Henry was laving her wounds closed then shuddered as he kissed them too.

"Bet you do that with all your meals," Vicki said softly, trying to avert the fact that his feeding was sensual and pleasurable. Henry, through the dark, could see her face relaxed and content.

"Not hardly," he said as he lay back.

"Someone's coming," Henry said. Vicki wanted to respond with..I already did..but thought better of it.

"Huh? Oh yeah.." Vicki's mind was back in action. Her hearing detected slight footsteps headed in their direction. Vicki, still kneeling next to Henry, shielded her eyes from the bright light that poured in when they opened the door.

"Come on, she's ready for you," one man ordered. Vicki struggled, kicked and fought as one of them grabbed her. He was big, burly and full of muscle. They bulged and twitched while Vicki fought with him. He wondered how such a small woman could be so strong. The other man, not quite as large, took the weakened Henry and drug him up the stairs. It was obvious were in someone's home. It was large, decorated with expensive items and inhabited by a woman. A man might live there but he had no say so in the decorating. The living room or sitting room, Vicki wasn't sure which, was decorated with multiple religious items, large over stuffed chairs and mirrors of different sizes and shapes.

"Welcome to my home, demon. And your girlfriend too, welcome," the woman said as they were placed in a kneeling position before her. She was an older woman, her hair was pulled back into a bun and she was dressed in a crisp suit, very business like.

"Who the hell are you? And I'm his partner," Vicki spat out. The muscled man held her arms behind her back preventing her from lunging at his boss. Henry's head drooped and lolled.

"Ah..such sweet kind words Ms. Nelson, here, these are yours I believe?" The woman put her glasses on her face. When she did, Vicki noticed the key hanging from her wrist. She made a mental note of that for later.

"This," the woman tipped Henry's head by grabbing his hair in her hand, yanking it back and forcing him to look at her, his eyes still black, his fangs retracted but still, Esther felt he looked evil, "is the rancid abomination that the mayor has let come into our midst so readily. I will take care of you later but for now, I must finish my other job. The mayor will look guilty, it will be a wonderful thing and then my son can take over."

Vicki realized who the woman was. She was Esther Gregg, the mother of Isaac Gregg. Brother Isaac, as his followers called him, was the minister who was overzealous and tried to stop the law the mayor enacted. Isaac was also in love the married mayor's daughter, or so the tabloids accused and had tried to run for mayor himself but lost miserably.

"You won't succeed," Vicki hissed in the woman's face.

"You poor girl, your soul is condemned to hell by merely being friends with.." she looked at Henry with disgust, "that thing."

Vicki growled and fought harder, pulling and kicking the man who held her.

"You know nothing of him. He's wonderful, he's no demon and he's a God-fearing man, you're a crazy bitch," Vicki screamed.

Esther brought her hand up and slammed Vicki in the face with a firm backhand, knocking her over and eliciting a growl from Henry, "Hmm..we shall see who is crazy.." she hummed triumphantly. As she walked away, Henry's eyes never left her.

Little did Esther know but she had become the vampire's prey....


	9. A Mystery

Vicki's mind was reeling as she tried to sort through this entire situation. Esther was behind it all but how were the mayor's daughters involved and why would they plot against their own father? Maybe the question was were they plotting against their father? The other thing running through Vicki's mind was why? That was the most confusing puzzle of all. She would figure it out but for now, she had to get that key from Esther.

The men had tied Vicki's hands and put Henry in cuffs. At this point, he was too weak to break them and that's all that was required to hold him. Esther paced between the two and shooed the men away. Vicki spit blood from her mouth and made another mental note to make her pay for that later.

"So, you two are just partners huh..well, guess you aren't lovers then? Am I assuming correctly?"

"What if we were? What difference does it make?" Vicki hissed while still continuing her struggle.

"Oh alot my dear, you see, if you are with this creature, I'd like to know how it's done." she said. Vicki's eyes widened.

"You're a sick bitch too," Vicki hissed. Henry stared at the woman through his hooded eyes. Vicki's blood had given him enough strength he felt he could break the cuffs if necessary. The Illuminacion De Sol on the other hand was keeping him weak.

"Where did you get that?" Vicki nodded toward Henry's chest.

"That's none of your concern. Are you hungry demon? Would you like a snack?" Deja vu washed over Vicki when Esther pushed her closer to Henry. Esther didn't know was that Henry had taken blood from Vicki before arriving upstairs but Vicki sure was hoping that little snack would help Henry control himself.

"Yes," Henry growled, "I am. Bring her closer, I'll show you exactly how a vampire makes love to a human woman."

"Henry!" Vicki cried out. What the hell was he thinking!? With glee, Esther shoved Vicki closer to Henry. Vicki fought and kicked uselessly as the distance between her and Henry closed quickly.

"Henry, please, this isn't you, don't give in to her sickness," Vicki pleaded. This wasn't Henry was it? Was this his true nature? Had she been wrong this whole time, giving him the benefit of the doubt when in fact he truly was a monster?

Across town, Mike had Vicki's cell ping traced to the park.

"Damn!" Mike cursed when they arrived to find her phone under the park bench.

"Fan out people, start asking questions," Mike ordered the officers that had accompanied them. Within moments, an officer had a couple in tow walking briskly in Mike's direction.

"Hey, detective," the officer nodded, "these two think they saw something." The young lovers looked terrified.

"We..we don't want any trouble. You aren't going to tell them are you?" The man stuttered.

"No, just tell us what you know. What did you see?" Mike was impatient and he scared the young man so much he could barely speak.

"Well..it was..that preacher man, it was..his van I think, not for sure but ...." the man fumbled with his hands, ran his fingers through his hair and licked his lips over and over.

"Come on man! A woman's life is at stake!" Mike shouted.

"Okay, okay! That man...Brother Isaiah or something, it was written on the van," Mike looked thoughtful. Mike didn't recognize the name at first then said, "Brother ISAAC maybe?"

"Yeah, that's it," they both nodded.

"Thanks, hey you," Mike motioned for another officer to come and take the two downtown for more questioning. Getting on his phone, he dialed Dave and asked him to check it out.

"I need that address yesterday, Dave." Mike told him impatiently.

"Oh Vicki, what have you gotten yourself into now?" Mike said softly, looking down at the cell phone in his hand.

Back at the office, Kate had phoned Coreen and asked her to meet at Vicki's office.

"Coreen, Vicki and Henry are missing, it's imperative that you show me what they were working on, please," Kate pled with Coreen. Finally, Coreen relented.

"Thank you, you won't regret this," Kate told her.

Kate hoped she wasn't going to regret it either.


	10. The Show

Henry was inches from Vicki. He suddenly snapped the cuffs as if they were plastic eliciting a gasp from Esther. She had underestimated Henry's strength. As Henry continued to slink towards her, Vicki shook her head no and tried to back away but couldn't, she was trapped. Henry's eyes were foreign, dead almost.

"Henry, don't give in to her, that's what she wants," Vicki knew he was weak but wasn't sure that the crazy woman wouldn't release him just in time to attack her.

"I'm not giving in to her, Vicki," Henry said in his otherwordly voice, "I'm giving in to me and you. It's us, it's what we want and need."

Vicki narrowed her eyes and frowned, "You're certainly full of yourself." Henry had Vicki backed into a corner, Esther watched with amusement and Vicki's breathing became more shallow and quick.

"Henry, this isn't you! You're not a monster," Vicki's eyes showed fear but her voice was even and firm. Henry put his hand on her cheek, his thumb caressing it and his lips brushing hers. Vicki trembled and shook.

" Oh, but I am aren't I? This is a part of me, Victoria, it's hard to accept but it is. You're right to hate me," he whispered. His dead eyes flashed pain and sadness.

"Well, get on with it, " Esther snapped. Henry could smell the older woman's growing desire brought on by her voyeurism.

"Vicki, trust me," Henry whispered into her ear and pulled away. She stared at him intently.

"Trust me, Vicki," Henry told her. Nodding slowly, Vicki turned her head and exposed her neck to him. Henry stroked the curvature with his soft hand, tracing the veins beneath the surface with the tips of his fingers. He whispered,"let's put on a good show," and as if on cue, Vicki shuddered and moaned. Not sure if she was acting or not, Henry put all he had into their performance. Reaching behind her, he undid the ropes the two men had tied her up with.

"You can't do that, demon," the old woman gasped.

"I must, she has to touch me," Henry focused his attention on Vicki once more. She was leaning against the wall, her body pressed as flat as humanly possible against it. Henry was perched over her and his breath feathered Vicki's face erotically as he spoke in hushed tones. One hand still rested on her neck while the other ran up her arm and caressed her tenderly. His brow furrowed, his fangs descended and he kissed her again, this time with passion and force. Vicki's hands instinctively cupped his face and she eagerly returned his kiss. Whether he was acting or not Vicki had no idea but if this display got them out of a death sentence, it would be more than worth it. Henry continued his ministrations, his hand moving to her waist and dangerously close to her breast. Breaking the kiss, Henry moved close to her ear once more. Vicki's head lolled, her eyes rolled back in her head and she groaned and sighed. Henry didn't know if this was all acting or not but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It took all the effort he had to maintain himself.

"Follow my lead," he told her. Swiftly, he was on his feet. Turning Vicki around so that her back faced Esther, Henry swept her hair away from her face and neck and tilted her face to gain better access to her supple neck. Henry's eyes watched Esther's face with fascination. Vicki held onto Henry for balance, her hands gripping his firm upper arms while he held her in place.

"Are you enjoying this?" Henry asked Esther. She nodded slowly, her mouth slack and eyes wide but didn't reply.

"Good, this is only the beginning," Henry licked Vicki's neck and Vicki mumbled something unintelligable.

"Bite her, let me see you bite her," Esther hoarsed out. Her tongue swiped her puckered lips. Henry bared his fangs, ran his tongue across them and hissed. Esther jumped and grabbed for a large cross. She fumbled and dropped it but never took her eyes off Henry while bending to pick it up.

"BITE her, we have to move forward," Esther told Henry. For the second time that night, Vicki felt and heard the pop of Henry's fangs. This time, she knew he was not feeding, it was just for show. The orgasmic feelings and euphoria she'd experienced earlier were not as intense. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Henry was holding back for show. Using his power of persuasion, Henry told Esther to come closer. Henry smiled crookedly at Esther's lack of knowledge in thinking that a symbol of God would frighten or hurt him.

"No.." she shook her head.

"You want to, come see," Henry told her again. When Henry squeezed Vicki, she knew it was time. As Esther neared them both, Vicki swirled, backhanded her and knocked her to the ground. The older woman moaned and closed her eyes.

"Damn," Vicki said as she shook her hand. Bending quickly, she grabbed the key from her wrist and said, "payback's a bitch." As she stood, Henry noticed her neck was still bleeding and he realized he hadn't closed the wound yet. Grabbing her, he ran his hot, wet tongue across the wounds. Vicki gasped and knew that not all Henry had done was for show. He pulled away and peered at the golden sun shaped object imbedded in his chest.

"Please, get this out of me," Henry had put everything he had into their act but part of him knew that it wasn't all for show and he felt that Vicki wasn't purely playing the part either.

Within seconds, Vicki had the key in and the device out. Henry dropped to his knees to catch his breath so to speak and then came back up with a vengeance.

"We need to go," Vicki told him.

"Wait, we must deal with them first," Henry told her.

"No, they are going to kill them all, I think I know what's going on," Vicki told Henry. They left Esther unconscious on the floor and searched for her accomplices. Creeping around the corner, Henry was in front of Vicki so quickly she never felt or saw him.

"They're here," Henry pointed to the kitchen.


	11. Tragic

Mike pulled in front of the address Dave had given him. The van in the driveway matched the description the young lovers had given to Mike at the park. Just as Mike opened his door to step out, he noticed a set of lights pulling up behind him. Sheilding his eyes for a better look, he groaned.

"Kate? What the hell..how did you know?" Mike asked. Kate explained as quickly as possible how she'd enlisted Coreen.

"And besides, you called Dave, it's not that hard to get information from him," Kate reminded Mike.

"That's true, let's go. I'm pretty sure this is where they've got them," Mike started into the house.

"Wait," Kate grabbed his arm,"shouldn't we wait for back up?"

"I'm not waiting for anyone, Kate. Some nut job has Vicki, there's no time."

"What about Henry?"

"What about him?" Mike snorted, "he's a big boy, he can handle himself."

"So why do you think Vicki needs you if she's got Henry?" That struck a nerve with Mike.

"Look, I'm not sure if he's here or not but what does it matter? Apparently, Vicki was taken not Henry. Had Henry been with her, don't you think he would have helped her?" Mike's face and reponse through gritted teeth were more than enough to convince Kate he was terribly frustrated.

"Not necessarily, he could be incapacitated too," Kate offered. Mike sighed.

"Let's just assume he's not with her, okay? I'm going in, end of story." Mike took off at a quick run to the back where he'd be less noticed. Peering into the kitchen, he saw the two men that fit the description of the attackers.

"Gotcha," Mike whispered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mike saw Henry.

"Shit..he's here," Mike muttered.

"Who?"

"Him.." Mike pointed.

"Then why didn't he vamp out and help her? What's going on?" Kate whispered.

"I don't know but I'm still going in. This is Brother Isaac's house, I'm guessing he has everything to do with what's going on." Mike crept toward the back door, tested it and as luck would have it, it was open.

Henry stalked the two men in the kitchen. They were at the table laughing and talking over beer. Vicki pulled Henry back before he could attack them.

"Henry, let's let Mike deal with them. Let's call him," Vicki didn't want trouble for Henry and she was afraid if he lost it and attacked the men, the community would look very differently upon him. The look on Henry's face, however, told Vicki he wasn't willing to wait. These men had attacked them and he wanted revenge, that was his animalistic nature. Yes, Henry had humanity within him but he also had a protectiveness for Vicki that was unmatched by anything else. They had been attacked without provocation and Henry knew too that these people were not only out to get him but would kill Vicki in the process. That was something he just couldn't live with.

"No, they will pay for what they did," Henry started back to the kitchen. Just as Henry entered, Mike and Kate burst through the door with guns drawn and ordered the men to put their hands on the table where they could see them.

"Mike?" Vicki was shocked to see him and Kate both arrive on the scene.

"You okay Vic?" Mike never took his eyes off the two men. Henry growled and continued to stalk them.

"Fitzroy, we've got this," Mike threw his cuffs at Kate. The two men looked terrifed and held their hands in their air.

"Hey we were just following orders," the men told Mike and Kate.

"I don't give a rat's ass," Mike told the big guy as he cuffed him.

In the living room, Esther awoke with a headache and a renewed spirit for revenge. Stumbling to her feet, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Her eyes were ablaze with anger, her mouth set in a firm line and what little sanity she possessed was completely gone. Quietly, she opened a box that sat on her antique table next to her piano. An evil smile spread over her face as she made her way to the kitchen. They would regret what they had done, she said to herself. Mike and Kate had the two men standing and ready to head to Mike's car while they waited for a squad car to arrive.

"Wait, what about Esther in the other room?" Vicki remembered. As she turned, she saw the woman standing in the doorway pointing a gun in her direction.

"Miss me?" Esther asked just as she fired the gun and hit Vicki with the first shot. Henry roared and rushed Esther, taking her down in one fell swoop.

Vicki hit the floor with a thud as pool of blood began to seep onto the bright white tile. Mike yelled her name, Kate screamed at Henry to stop, he was going to kill her and Vicki's life hung in the balance. Mike fell to his knees and put her head in his lap.

"Vicki! Stay with us!" Mike demaned.

"Mike.." she whispered as blood trickled from her mouth and sloshed onto the floor, "I have to say something.."

"No, save your strength," he shushed her.

"No.." she gurgled somewhat, "..it's..important.." Vicki tried to mouth the words, to say the words she wanted to say but couldn't seem to get them out. Mike rocked her back and forth, barked orders for them to call and ambulance and willed Vicki to stay alive. Henry was still attacking Esther and Vicki wante desperately to make him stop, but that was the last thing she saw.

Vicki's world swirled and went dark as she heard Esther's screams and pleas to make him stop...


	12. The News

Coreen got the call that Vicki was hanging on by a thread and headed to a hospital. Henry had nearly killed Esther before Kate and Mike could pull him off and Brother Isaac arrived home to the chaos.

"What's going on here?" he asked in shock,"And why is that here?" he asked as he pointed to Henry.

"We have some questions for you too," Mike told Brother Isaac.

"Momma? Momma?" Brother Isaac stared at his mother lying on the gurney. She was pale and staring, her neck bandaged and her mouth moving without forming words. Her mouth moving was the only signal at first that she was still alive and her bandaged neck indicated he suspected Henry had attacked her.

"Did you do this you..you..demon!?" Isaac screamed at Henry. Henry, calm and collected, answered honestly.

"Yes, I did. She shot my partner, she was trying to kill us," Brother Isaac put his head in his hands and wept.

"This is my fault, she wanted to help me, it's all my fault," he sobbed. Henry was tempted to persuade him to tell all that he knew but he had to see about Vicki. Her life had been fading when they put her in the ambulance.

"Mike, I've got to go," Henry told Mike. Shockingly and for once, Mike didn't argue. He only nodded and felt it best Henry was gone before more hell broke loose. Mike decided he would try and convince Vicki that having Henry around wasn't always the best idea. Henry's beastly nature had nearly killed a woman unnecessarily. Mike and Kate both could have shot her just as easily but Henry's true nature took over. Mike felt Vicki needed to be aware that Henry couldn't be trusted. At this point in time, there was nothing Mike could do about Henry. He truly had attacked Esther in self-defense and any defense attorney would have no difficulty proving that. A glint of something caught Mike's eye and bending, he saw it was the Illuminacion De Sol with the key still embedded in it. Picking it up, he cringed as he wiped Henry's blood from the points. Mike discreetly slipped it in his pocket when no one was looking, he felt he might need it at a later date.

Henry drove Kate's car to the hospital at her insistance. A flurry of activity prevented him from seeing exactly what was going on. Vicki was unconscious, her heartbeat was fading and she was in danger of dying at any moment. Henry thought instantaneously of turning her, being selfish for a year just to have more time with her but he knew that was wrong. He did the only thing he knew to do, pray. His eyes misted with tears of worry and love as he heard the emergency personnel bark orders to try and save Vicki's life.

"...more units of O neg, book an or, she's bleeding out people, let's go," the person in charge shouted. Henry could hear them but wasn't listening. His mind was reeling as he thought of the horrendous violence that might claim Vicki's life.

"Maybe I am too dangerous for you Vicki," Henry said out loud. He waited in the waiting room for hours it seemed but dawn was fast approaching. Mike arrived with Kate and Coreen in tow. They all sat quietly waiting to hear anything at all. Just before dawn, Henry stood up and announced he had to go home before it was too late.

"We'll let you know something, I'll call your machine," Mike said curtly.

"I know you blame me for what has happened, Detective," Henry offered.

"Yeah, I kinda do, Fitzroy," Mike said.

"Then you'll be pleased to know that I'm leaving, I feel I need to keep her safe and leaving is the only answer at this point," Henry told him.

"What? You can't leave!" Coreen shouted. She stood up then sat down quickly, she was faint and pale.

"Coreen, you need to see a doctor, in case Vicki.." Henry choked back the words "doesn't make it", he couldn't bring himself to say them, "in case she doesn't get to tell you, you're pregnant." Coreen's mouth fell open and Henry thought she was truly going to faint.

"I'm..what? But..." Coreen was stunned as were Mike and Kate.

"I'll check on her tonight when I awaken, then I will make plans to go. Although before I leave, detective, I'd like to know who was up to what, not only to protect myself but Vicki as well. I don't want any retaliation against her."

Mike nodded, "No problem, I'll fill you in tonight. Goodbye Henry." Mike was relieved or so he thought. Vicki would not be happy when she awoke to her vampire partner giving her the news he was leaving.

Henry nodded, Coreen sat staring blankly with her hand on her stomach in awe and if looks could kill, the one Kate gave Mike would have dropped him dead to the floor.

"What?" Mike said.

"You're an ass Michael Celluci," Kate spat out. She moved to Coreen to try and comfort the poor girl who was obviously in shock.

Coreen whispered out loud to try and make sense of what she'd heard from Henry, as if saying it out loud would make it seem real.."I'm pregnant," she said softly.

Coreen was pregnant, Vicki might be dying and Henry was leaving.

Things could not be any worse, could they?


	13. Always on My Mind

Henry was forlorn, angry and saddened by the turn of events. As much as he loved Vicki, as much as he ached to be with her, he could not and would not put her in danger ever again. This was frightening for him. The decision to leave was hard but harder still was the thought of Vicki dying. The fact he would have to wait until the evening to see if she was okay was horrific. His only consolation was the fact he would die for the day and not have to worry about a fitfull sleep. Upon arriving at his condo, he made his way to his bed as he felt the pull of death close at hand. Glancing to the couch, he saw a scarf Vicki had left on one of her visits. Grabbing it, he inhaled her scent and a single tear slipped from his eye.

"Please, let her live. I will leave and she will be safe, just let her live," Henry prayed out loud. Taking her scarf, he peeled his clothing away and fell into bed in nothing but black, silk boxers. Inhaling her scarf one more time, his last exhale of the day was with her on his mind.

Back at the hospital, Mike paced the waiting room so much that Kate finally grabbed his arm and told him to sit.

"What the hell is taking so long?" Mike was flustered, impatient and distraught. Coreen hadn't said much and eventually dozed for a bit.

"Mike, do you want them to rush this? I mean.." Kate was cut off by a doctor approaching.

"Nelson family?" They all blinked not really knowing what to say.

"Uh..well..we uh.." Mike stuttered.

"Yes, we are," Kate said with a smile, linking her arm in Mike's for effect.

"Great," the doctor sat, "Okay well, Ms. Nelson came through the surgery, she lost alot of blood and is in ICU but we are hoping she recovers with little problems. The bullet went straight through her abdomen out of her back. To be honest, it was miraculous that it didn't catch her spine, missed it by millimeters," the doctor shook his head. He explained to them they had Vicki on life support and in a drug induced coma to help her body heal easier.

Mike and Kate thanked him, Coreen sniffled and the doctor told them they could see her one at a time. Mike went first at Kate's insistence. Vicki was hooked up to every tube imaginable and she didn't look like herself at all. Mike took a ragged breath as he inched toward her bed.

"Aw Vic," Mike choked back tears, his throat was tight and his voice cracked, "you gotta be more careful. You're not invincible," he sighed, kissed her forehead then turned to leave. Before he did, he told her, "I'll always love you, you know. Even though I know you're not in love with me, I'll always love you." With a defeated look, he walked out of her room and told Kate to go in.

"No, I'm good, Coreen, you go ahead," Kate shrugged. Coreen nodded and slowly entered the room. She gasped when she saw her boss, her surrogate big sister really, lying there looking so weak and vulnerable. The slow, steady beep of Vicki's heart monitor was rhythmic but frightening.

"Vicki," Coreen whispered, "I'm sorry for everything, really. Please don't die, you gotta be here. What am I gonna do? I'm pregnant..me..pregnant..I can't do this by myself, please come back to us. Besides, you gotta tell Henry you love him..you do love him right? You just can't die, please, " Coreen kissed Vicki's cheek, something that she could never do while Vicki was conscious. Vicki was her boss, but she was also her friend or that's how Coreen saw her. The beeping and hissing of machines hung with Coreen long after leaving Vicki's room. The doctor told them it was still touch and go.

Henry awoke with a start. His mind knew he needed to feed and get to Vicki. He didn't care which lottery person was waiting, he had no time to wait. Dressing quickly, he grabbed a quick bite in an alleyway before heading to his car and wiped her mind of the incident. He completely forgot that Mike said he would call and that might have saved him some worry. His hands gripped the steering wheel the entire drive over. Upon arriving at the hospital, he made his way to the registration desk to check her location.

"Let's see," the clerk typed in Vicki's name, "Victoria Nelson..ah..there she is.." She told Henry the room number but for the life of her didn't remember him leaving.

"Hmm..." she shrugged, then frowned and looked both directions. Shaking her head, she wondered if she'd really just been talking to a hot young man or not.

Henry entered her room with the grace and ease only he possessed. Vicki was no longer hooked up to life support, she was breathing on her own. He listened to the steady rhythm of her heart and each breath she took was music to his ears. He sent up a silent thank you prayer. Gently sitting on her bed, he took her hand and kissed it. The only things still attached were her IV's, her heart monitor and the drain tubes from her chest. The nurse entered and smiled at the very serious but handsome young man sitting on the bed. She could see by the look on his face this woman was special to him.

"Hi," she said, "you must be Henry." She began checking Vicki's machines and monitors.

"Excuse me?" Henry asked.

"Henry? You must be Henry," the nurse sighed as she adjusted things, checked her vitals and fixed her bed, "you must be pretty special. We don't get very many near death patients that moan names while half alive. I've learned that the ones that do, they are very special to this person that their mind would go to them while trying to heal from a traumatic injury, she's a lucky woman and you are a very special man, " the nurse added with a smile and twinkle in her eye. She left Henry to Vicki and he pondered what she had revealed.

His one thought now was, should he stay or leave?


	14. Dreaming

Henry stayed with Vicki as long as the night would allow. As she shifted slightly and moved a few times, he leaned in each time to see if she would awaken. Holding her hand, he kissed it multiple times throughout the night. The nurses came and went and each one smiled and flirted with Henry, who could resist? When he felt the pull of the sun, he stood up, tears in his blue eyes and kissed her lips softly. She stirred slightly and whispered his name but never woke up.

"Yes, Vicki, I'm here," Henry whispered back as his eyes glistened with tears. When he turned, he bumped into Mike.

"But you're still leaving, right?" Mike glared at Henry.

"I will speak to Vicki when she wakes, that's all I can promise at this point. What about the case? Did you find out what was going on?"

"Why? 'Fraid someone will stake you in your sleep?" Mike snorted. Mike's smug look was wiped away with the deadly look on Henry's face as he responded to his question.

"Do you find that funny detective?" Henry growled.

"Lighten up, Fitzroy. Yeah, we've pretty much solved it, strange that it was," Mike shook his head.

"I'd love to hear it but I must go," Henry started away but not before one last look at Vicki.

"Can't wait to chat," Mike saluted Henry and smirked. Momentarily, Henry thought of giving Mike a single finger salute but decided it was childish although it might have made him feel better. Henry was gone in a flash, his pain too much to bear as he left Vicki for the day. Mike waited until he was sure Henry was gone before making his way to Vicki's bed and sitting down on the edge, much the same way Henry had done all through the night. Picking up her hand, he kissed it tenderly.

"Vic, come one, you gotta wake up, you're not gonna believe this case," Mike smiled weakly hoping she would show some sign of waking. After a few hours of Mike's ramblings, the nurses told him he would need to go.

"Sir, she needs to rest," one nurse told him.

"Well, the other man was here all night," Mike sounded childlike.

The nurse smiled, "Yes, but he was quiet, he just sat and watched, he didn't ramble incessantly," the nurse sighed.

"Oh." Mike told them he needed to get to work anyway, left his cell in the event of a change and reluctantly left Vicki too.

"Bye Vic," Mike kissed her lips softly, again, just as Henry had done. But unlike with Henry, Vicki didn't move or utter a word. The nurse took note of this and she truly hoped this woman would wake up, take that young man and have her way with him.

"Ms. Nelson, you'd be a fool not to take that handsome, sexy vampire as your own, God knows I would," she patted Vicki's hand as she left her alone for a bit too.

Once alone, a weak smile crept over Vicki's sleeping face.

Henry once again slept the sleep of the dead, grateful he couldn't dream for he feared he would have nightmares. He struggled with what he had done to Esther as well. It was beastly of him but he felt too that it was truly self-defense. Instead of a gun as Mike would use, Henry had used his fangs. Instead of shooting her, he had bitten her..'like an animal.' Henry muttered out loud. His human side knew it was hard to understand but the beast in him knew it was second nature. Shaking his head, he lay in his bed for a second night wishing death would come quickly and take the pain of decision and what he'd done away from him for another day. Soon enough, his wishes were granted and while he slept, Vicki continued to heal.

While Vicki slept, she dreamt but her dreams weren't nightmares. They were full of erotic moments with Henry. The last time she was with Henry, not only did he attack Esther but he had kissed her, laved his hot tongue on her neck and touched her in ways she hadn't been touched in a very long time. The nurses were concerned as her heart accelerated then slowed, her blood pressure rose then dropped and her breathing quickened then slowed.

"What do you think she's dreaming about? Or..should we call the doctor?" they younger nurse asked the older one.

The older nurse smiled and shook her nead no, "Honey, we could only wish we were dreaming what she must be dreaming."

"How do you know?" the other nurse said.

"Honey, look at her face," she pointed.

The smile on Vicki's face was worth a thousand words...


	15. Confrontation

Mike finished the paperwork involving the mayor, his daughters, Brother Isaac and his mother Esther. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair, down his face and back over to smooth his hair down.

"Here," Kate handed him a cup of coffee.

Smiling, he thanked her, took a drank and set it down on his desk.

"How's Vicki?" Kate asked softly.

"Holding her own, but," Mike stood up, "I'm anxious for her to wake up so that we can get rid of Fiztroy once and for all."

"Mike, come on. He's not going to leave and you know it," Kate told him.

"How can you be so sure? He said he would."

Kate went back to her desk and began to work. Mike followed her, perched on her desk and leaned over.

"What Kate? I know you have something to say, just say it," Mike said gruffly.

"Mike," Kate looked up at him, "you are deluded if you think that just because he's gone, she'll come back. Let her go already, it's over." Mike frowned at his partner.

"That has nothing to do with it," he growled and headed out of the office. Kate watched him leave and shook her head, 'yeah right.'

Mike stomped all the way to his car and talked to himself. Crowley would certainly think he was crazy if she could see him now.

"...who does she think she is? I don't want Vicki! That's ridiculous! Pffftt..as if.." Mike fumbled for his keys, dropped them and when he stood, there stood Brother Isaac. Mike jumped and grabbed for his gun out of instinct.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mike asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"I need your help," the man said.

"Excuse me?" Mike cocked his head, his hand still resting on his gun.

"I saw you, I saw you take it, I know you have it and I know you hate him, I need your help."

Mike's eyes flashed recognition, the Illuminacion De Sol, that's what Isaac was referring to.

"Look, you got off easy. I don't know how you came out smelling like a rose but it would be best if you move on now," Mike shooed him away.

"No!" Isaac stood his ground. Out of the shadows came two large men. Mike pulled his gun and pointed between the three then settled on Isaac knowing if you cut off the head of a snake, the body will die.

"I will die for my cause, they know this. If you won't do it, I will," Isaac put his hand out.

"No, I'm a police officer. No matter how I feel personally, he's done nothing wrong," Mike told them.

"Really. He hurt my mother, she's in a permanent state of shock, she.." Isaac's lip trembled, the tall, dark-haired light eyed man with pale skin didn't look so different from Henry in many respects, he was pale from lack of sunlight, his eyes were so blue they were almost transluscent and his hair was black and curly. The biggest difference in Henry and Isaac was Isaac's lack of sanity.

Recovering, Isaac finished, "She's not right. She'll never be the same."

"So be it," Mike told him shrugging his shoulders in disdain, "she chose to plot this out. She shot a former cop, that doesn't set well here," Mike spat out.

"She's not well-liked among the force, what difference does it make? And she consorts with the demon," Isaac shot back.

"It's makes all the difference, and you're crazy," Mike told him.

"I'm going to rid the world of his evil, with or without your help but that artifact belongs to my family, it was passed down through our family," Isaac told him. Mike wondered how they had gotten one of them.

"Mendoza was your family? He was priest, they don't have children," Mike offered.

"He wasn't always a priest, he had a son, who had children, who.." Mike stopped him with a hand, "I got it," Mike sighed.

"Look, Isaac, you're pushing it. Just let it go, Henry is here to stay, like it or not," Mike said hoping he was wrong about that, "he's here in Toronto, feeding off of our wonderful citizens. And..he may be leaving, he's offered to so no need for violence."

Isaac tilted his head, "What are you saying detective?"

"He's offered to leave after Vicki recovers, no need to take care of things," Mike shrugged.

"But still, he hurt my mother," Isaac reminded him.

"Revenge will only land you in jail, remember that and then who will take care of your mother?"

Isaac thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll give it time but if I'm not satisified with the results, then you'll give it back?"

Mike agreed, "Sure, it's all yours." Isaac agreed and left with his followers. Mike relaxed and got into his car. He thought about what had just transpired and decided he might have to rethink things somewhat.

Mike closed his eyes and when he opened them, he knew what he had to do.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Vicki woke up during the day and was insistant they let her call Henry's answering machine.

"Ma'am, I'm more than sure he'll be here," the nurse tried to tell her.

Her voice was weak and raspy but still full of fight, "How can you be so sure?" she tried pushing herself up on the bed and succeeded but only after her fourth try, without help at that, she refused of course.

"Because, Ms. Nelson, that man stayed here all night and he was so sad looking when he left, then the other man came in and he looked sad too," Vicki's mouth fell open.

"They were both here?" She knew the night visitor was Henry and the day visitor had to be Mike.

"Yes, they were both here, you are one lucky woman, I'll tell you, we could only dream to have your problem," the nurse smiled.

Vicki closed her eyes and groaned, "Yeah..great..."


	16. MIA

Mike mulled over his decision, back and forth, argued with himself and decided to sleep on it, there was no rush. He stopped by the hospital first to check on Vicki. It was almost nightfall and he didn't want to bump into..HIM if he could help it.

"Vic, I heard you were aw..." Mike stopped short, her bed was empty.

"NURSE!" Mike yelled as he searched her room, the bathroom and then looked up and down the halls. Her iv was dangling from the bag of saline that hung on the pole, her leads were dangling from their now dead machines and the tubing that was in her chest was on the floor, slick with Vicki's blood.

"Damn! Where is she?" Mike yelled at the three nurses that had gathered in Vicki's room. They were shocked and horrified to see her missing.

"Sir..we don't know. She was here less than an hour ago, talking to us," the older nurse motioned between the three of them.

"Well she's not now is she?" Mike said through gritted teeth. The nurses, fearful of losing their jobs over losing a patient, shook their heads no in unison. The charge nurse, Margaret, came into the room upon discovering her employees missing.

"What the hell.." Nurse Margaret's mouth fell open, "what happened here? Where is Ms. Nelson?"

"That's exactly what I'd like to know," Mike held up her iv cord for effect.

"I assure you, this is not the norm," the nurse told him. Turning to the three nurses, she barked orders from searching the entire floor to calling security.

"We will find her, she still needs medical attention," the nurse motioned Mike to follow her.

"Go to security, we have dvr's of everything," Nurse Margaret pointed to the cameras in the corners.

"Thanks," Mike nodded while heading security.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Vicki was unconscious in the back seat of a large vehicle. She moaned and jerked, her body was racked with all kinds of pain.

"Hey, Brother Isaac, whatcha wanna do? She's wakin' up and she seems off," the younger man told his boss.

"Nothing," Brother Isaac's cold stare never left the road ahead of him. His mouth was set in a firm line and his hands gripped the steering wheel. He would make them pay for what the vampire did to his mother.

"Brother, she's stirrin'," the man in the back seat with Vicki was beginning to panic, "and..oh..oh no.." his eyes widened as he leaned forward, "she's bleedin' more sir, really bad." Vicki's shirt was soaked with blood where the drain tube had been. Although Brother Isaac had stitched it himself, it was not done tightly enough and she was seeping blood.

"She'll be fine, I'll fix her up when we get to the compound."

Vicki peeled her eyelids back in an attempt to open them, they felt like lead. Her side ached and her body hurt from being manhandled. She tried to get her bearings but all she knew was that the motion of the vehicle in which she rode was beginning to make her nauseous.

"Gonna..." Vicki tried to talk, "be..sick.." she finally hoarsed out.

"Hey, man, she's gonna hurl, pull over, pull over," the man was covering his mouth ready to throw up at the mere thought of Vicki getting ill.

"Fine," Isaac whipped the car over making Vicki sicker. As soon as the door was flung open, Vicki leaned off the end of the seat, her hair being held back by the man that was sitting with her and threw up. Pain shot through her abdomen, up her side and her head felt as if it were about to split open. She finally stopped after what seemed like forever. Sweating, pale and weak she turned back over and looked at her captors. The man sitting with her, his name appeared to be Jacob, looked as if he were going to be sick too.

"What..never seen a woman throw up before?" Even in her weakened state Vicki could still shoot off at the mouth.

"Finished?" Isaac said coldly. Vicki nodded, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and lay back down. Draping her arm over stomach, her hand felt warm, wet blood that had seeped through the bandage that was put on in haste at the hospital. She groaned and hissed while trying to get as comfortable as possible in the leather seat. Suprisingly, Jacob took his jacket off and spread it out over her. She nodded and smiled weakly in thanks.

Vicki was also smiling for another reason...she knew Henry and Mike would not be pleased and these men would take the brunt of that. She decided that would be something to see.

That is, if she lived to see it....


	17. A Familiar Name

Mike watched the recorded security tapes for any sign of who or what might have taken Vicki.

"Get real Celluci," Mike muttered to himself. She went missing during the day, the vampire could not possibly get her out during the day. Unless he got someone to do it for him, Mike thought to himself. He shook the thought away realizing he needed to focus on all possiblities.

"Whoa! Right there!" Mike pointed to the screen, "Stop it," Mike ordered the security guard to stop the tape at the time listed as being two hours prior to Mike's arrival. Two men were seen entering Vicki's room, one of them sprayed the camera closest to her room and all went dark.

"Print that for me," Mike told him. The face looking into the camera looked familiar and Mike suspected it belonged to one of the men with Brother Isaac. Flipping his phone open, he called Kate and asked her to pull up photos of Isaac and his followers. They had all been arrested during a demonstration against the legalization of Henry. Mike had not wanted them arrested, he was on their side however they were gathering illegally and the law is the law.

"Yeah..now..look for one with a scar over his right eye, dark hair, looks like dark eyes but it's hard to tell..yeah..really..Jacob Hogan?"

Mike listened with interest while Kate told him about this Jacob who seemed to fit Mike's photo perfectly. She asked Mike if he knew that Isaac had a compound just outside the city.

"No I did not, very interesting information though, thanks so much Kate." Kate smiled on the other en, happy to feel she was contributing to the investigation. While Vicki wasn't her favorite person, she certainly did not want something to happen to her.

"Thanks, gotta go," Mike patted the security guard. He felt sure Vicki had been taken to this so-called compound. He looked at his phone and wondered if he should contact Henry. It was after sunset, he would be up but should he involve him? Would he need him? No! He didn't need him but still..what if Vicki wanted him? Mike shook his head, shoved his phone back in his pocket and ran to his car.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Jacob carried Vicki into the large house located at the 'compound' as Isaac had called it in the car ride over. Vicki's vision was poor at best but without her glasses and the night fast approaching, she could barely make out the edges of the large home. Isaac ordered Jacob to take Vicki upstairs to the room. Vicki wondered what the hell 'the room' was. Upon arriving, she saw it was set up almost as a small medical office. A bed lay in the center, all kinds of equipment and the walls were lined with counters loaded with every medical item she could think of through her pounding headache. Isaac soon arrived and snapped a set of gloves on.

"Why?" Vicki whispered as Isaac lifted her shirt. Vicki jerked away and hissed, gritting her teeth while he poked and prodded. She wanted to scream from the pain he created but thought better of it.

"That's none of your worry, I know that thing will come for you and then.." Isaac smiled a crazed smile, "I may let you go, that is, if you survive the night." Isaac moved to gather supplies necessary for cleaning and redressing her wounds. The stitch looked as though it had held but she had bled enough that it seeped through her dressing and shirt.

"It is..why? Do you even have a reason?" Vick's head lolled to the side, she licked her lips and sighed. Just talking seemed to wear her down and drain her.

"I don't need one other than it's God's will," he said firmly while tending to her.

"God's will? Henry is a God-fearing man, how can you hide behind God? That's wrong and you know it," Vicki had renewed vigor. She realized he was simply out to kill Henry.

"No, it's not or God would have created.." Isaac closed his eyes, swallowed hard and nearly spit out.."vampires."

"He did, apparently at some point, besides, Henry has a soul," Vicki said matter-of-factly hoping to prolong him by talking. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was discovered missing and she also knew Henry would figure things out quickly.

"And you know this how? You're not expert, your soul is dark and dirty," he told her.

"And yours isn't? Look at what you're doing to me, trying to do to Henry, does God condone senseless murder? You almost sound like.." Vicki was stopped cold when he answered, "Javier Mendoza?" His lips curled into a wicked smile.

"Yes," Vicki said softly. Isaac had been kind enough to give her a shot of something in the opiate family and soon, she began to get sleepy and comfortable.

"Yes, he was a distant relative," Isaac said cryptically.

"Not too distant," Vicki snorted. He sat her up and she swayed.

"Look, I am very sorry you are involved in all of this, things just didn't quite go as planned and the you come along because someone 'tips' you off about an 'affair'," Isaac shook his head.

"What do you mean? That's not real? What's going on?" Vicki was beginning to slur her words. Isaac led her to a smaller cot in the room. Laying her down gently, she stared at him in amazement. Although he was supposed to be a man of God, she had doubted he had any sense of compassion or love for other human beings. His gentleness with her confused her.

"I can't expect you to understand this Ms. Nelson but I must finish God's work, you must stay out of it," he turned and left her alone. Soon, sleep began to pull at her sending into a dream world as the medication was working quickly. Vicki fell alseep and soon, Henry was on her mind but this time, he was beside her asking her where she was.

"Henry? Aren't you here? We are at some compound, Henry..where did you go?" Vicki turned in circles but saw nothing.

She did hear.."I'm coming for you..."

On the other side of Toronto, Henry's dark eyes snapped open, he hissed and said, "I'm coming for you.."

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reluctantly, Mike dialed Henry's number. He wasn't going in blind this time and he needed back up. Henry didn't pick up and with some trepidation, he left a detailed voicemail. Sighing, he waited to see if Henry called back but unfortunately, he didn't. Unbeknownst to Mike, Henry's phone was turned off. Mike wanted so badly to storm the compound like some knight in shining armor but his rational mind told him to wait. After an hour of watching and waiting, he decided to give up and head in. Just as he stepped out of his car, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Good evening detective.."


	18. A Plan?

"Shit Fitzroy! Must you insist on sneaking up on people like that? Damn!" Mike's heart was pounding and Henry fought the urge to smile at the man's distress.

"I'm sorry, but we need to get to Vicki, I connected with her, she's here," Henry told him.

"Well no kidding," Mike rolled his eyes, "besides, I left you a voicemail." Mike waved his phone in front of Henry.

"Sorry, turned off. I sometimes despise modern technology," Henry offered.

"Bet you don't turn it off when you're expecting Vicki's calls," Mike muttered.

"No I don't but with the situation we are in, I knew it was unlikely she would call. Are we going to stand here and banter all day or are we going to help Vicki?" Henry asked.

Mike frowned and headed toward the long driveway leading up to the main house. He had been observing the house and was suprised there wasn't more security.

"Why do you think he doesn't have guards posted?" Mike wondered aloud.

"He professes to be a man of God, he thinks he is above reproach," Henry's voice dripped with disdain, "he gives actual Christians a bad name."

"At any rate, good for us, right?" Mike was uncomfortable talking about faith, especially with Henry. He'd been raised Lutheran but was long since practicing. Sure, he believed and had faith but how could Henry? He was a vampire, surely he didn't think he was going to heaven? He had murdered people, taken their lives away from them for food. How could God forgive that? Mike would have to wait and ponder that later, Henry sensed Vicki's heart was slow for some reason. He shared this information with Mike.

"She could be drugged," Mike told him.

"Or dying," Henry responded.

"Wow..so much for positive thinking," Mike shook his head. They made their way to the back of the house and were rewarded with a fire escape.

"You first," Mike told Henry with a bow and wave of his hand. Henry started up the fire escape but not in the usual step at a time, he jumped. Mike's mouth dropped as he watched Henry make it to the second floor in less than a minute.

"Show off.." Mike mumbled as he started up the stairwell.

Vicki was awake but still groggy. Quietly, she exited the room she was in and moved down the hallway toward the sound of voices.

"No, no..we have to kill her too and make it look as if the vampire did it, then, when they find his charred remains, they'll see it was self-defense," an unknown male voice drifted up to Vicki.

"Great," she whispered. Holding her side, she entered another room and turned the light on. She froze. It was full of old pictures as well as modern ones. The room appeared to be a sitting room of sorts, a couch, chair, table and ornate lamp stood in the center. The shelves were lined with books. Walking slowly, she saw that most of them were religious books sprinkled with classics as well as one or two on the occult. One book stood out and it so happened to be a book on spells and incantations. Pullling it off the wall, she was shocked to find a page bookmarked that was very descriptive in bringing a soul back from the other side to inhabit another's body. This wasn't simple possession but actual soul switching. Vicki frowned when she was that it was highlighted on the area of exactly how to perform the ritual. She could tell by the highlighting and notations it was new, very recent in fact. She then looked at the pictures in the room. Groaning a little, she walked slowly around and saw they were pictures of religious figures from all over the world in modern times and going back to the early nineteen hundreds it appeared. One picture stopped her in her tracks.

In this photo, Javier Mendoza was shaking hands with a pope, Vicki wasn't sure which pope it was but there he was, picture proof. In another, he was shaking hands with Nelson Mandela, another Mother Theresa and still another, Ghandi. All of these figures were famous, important and full of compassion. This whole scene made Vicki's skin crawl. She was beginning to get weak again and decided to sit for a moment when she heard a rap at the window. Moving toward it, she smiled broadly.

"Henry.." she said as she opened the window.

"What are you doing here?" her eyes misted with tears but she held back, she was still tough Vicki Nelson. Mike then appeared behind Henry, grunting, heaving and sweating from the climb.

"Hey Vic, you okay?"

"Mike!? You too..wow a two-fer..thanks!" Vicki attempted humor but the pain in her side took over and she bent forward. Henry and Mike reached for her in unison and both growled at the other.

"Boys..play nice," Vicki was breathing in through her nose and out of her mouth, the pain was almost unbearable.

"Henry, get her out of here, now," Mike ordered.

"Don't tell me what to do, detective," Henry growled.

"Don't you see I'm trying to help Vicki? It's not about you, Fitzroy, get her out, help her, do something.." Mike was trying to stay quiet but his voice got louder until one of the men downstairs told the others to be quiet. Henry put his finger to his mouth and ordered them to stop talking. His sensitive hearing was picking up that one of them was coming to check on Vicki. Quickly, Henry picked her up and took her to the room she pointed to. Putting her back in bed, he covered up and told her to act as if she were sleeping and then he was gone. The man checked in on her, made sure she was 'asleep' and left.

"She's fine," Henry heard the man say, "come on, let's go eat something. They should be here shortly, that is IF your plan works, Isaac."

"Oh it will, trust me."

Henry waited until they sounded further away before returning to Vicki. Mike followed close behind.

"Vicki, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Vicki nodded no and stayed still, her pain was taking over.

"What can I do?" Mike asked feeling helpless.

"Nothing," Vicki said.

"I can," Henry offered, "but you won't like it," he looked at Mike. Vicki peered at Henry wondering what he was referring to.

"What?" Mike was still confused.

"If I give her some of my blood," Henry turned back to Vicki, "she'll heal faster and we can get her out of here," Henry's jaw twitched. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Mike was seething, the vampire had lost his damn mind. His hand slipped into his pocket where the Illuminacion De Sol was cold against his fingers.

"Over my dead body are you turning her, vampire.."


	19. Too Little, Too Late

Mike's hand stayed in his pocket ready for fast action if necessary.

"Henry, I don't want to be turned," Vicki's eyes were full of worry. Henry kissed her hand infuriating Mike even further.

"I won't turn you, Vicki. I will give you just enough to make you feel better, help your body jumpstart it's healing process, nothing more, " Henry's eyes were soft and trusting.

"Bullshit! He's full of it, don't do it Vic," Mike still held tight to the Illuminacion De Sol.

"It's not that, I'm not afraid I just don't want to a vampire," Vicki told the men.

"Of course you don't! It's wrong!" Mike's face was beet red and his eyes were wild.

"Wrong? So I'm wrong detective? I was human, I still am. There is still part of me that's human, you're very narrow-minded," Henry stood face to face with Mike.

"I'm not narrow-minded, just practical. Vicki can't be a vampire, that would be a little hard to stomach," Mike told Henry. Henry was not only angry he was hurt. He knew the detective disliked him, he wasn't aware he despised him to this extent.

"It's Vicki's decision," Henry turned back to her.

"I won't turn, you promise?" Vicki swallowed hard.

"I give you my word, I don't want to turn you either," he said softly as he knelt beside her.

"You don't? Why? Am I not good enough?" Vicki was on the defense. Her reason for not wanting to be turned would be kept to herself but now, she was angry with Henry.

"You're more than good enough, that's the problem, Vicki, I'm selfish. I don't want to lose you after a year."

"Oh please, give me a break, Fang Boy, as if you have any feelings for anyone other than yourself," Mike humphed out.

"You don't know me at all Mike, please refrain from passing judgement on what I do or don't want."

"Whatever," Mike relaxed a little and leaned on the hospital bed in the room, "but you need to figure out something quick. They are waiting for us to approach from outside, they may come up again to check on her again."

Vicki looked between the two of them. Mike, her protector or wannabe protector, was worried and frightened although he'd never admit that. Henry, the sexy romantic, wanted to save her and take her pain away, nothing more. Both of them loved her but in a different way, how did she feel about them? She knew what her heart said but her head was telling her to run away from them.

"Do it," Vicki suddenly said. She didn't know if the pain had taken over or if she was actually delusional but she had agreed nonetheless.

"What? Are you crazy? Just how much dope is in your system? Put the pipe down, Vicki, step away from the vampire..you can't be serious?" Mike was slightly disturbed.

"Mike, please leave, go watch the door or something. I've made my decision, please respect that," Vicki's breathing was become more labored and quick.

"Detective, we must do something quickly, her heart is strained from blood loss and shock," Mike knew nothing of medical things but figured it would be best to listen to Henry just in case he was right.

"Alright, Vicki," Mike pointed his finger at her, "But when you start wanting your steaks raw and your Bloody Mary's actually made with blood, don't come cryin' to me." With that, he left as quietly as an angry cop could and became the lookout. Henry dropped his fangs, bit his wrist and put it to Vicki's mouth. Her first instinct was to turn away, the thought repulsed her but Henry encouraged her.

"Drink, very little Vicki, if I could, I would enter your mind and give you a different sensation and taste, but I can't." Henry told her.

"My eyesight," she sighed. Henry smiled.

"I only wish, no not your eyesight," he told her.

"No? Then what?"

"Your strong will, Vicki." He pushed his wrist toward her mouth again. She licked her lips, took a deep breath and began to drink from Henry. Henry's eyes glazed over a bit and he groaned. Vicki's sideways glance saw what effect she was having on him and she had to admit privately that it was doing the same to her. The warm, coppery and salty taste wasn't as bad as she expected. Henry had to pull away before she took too much. His own wounds began to heal quickly. Within seconds, Vicki's body was warm and felt wonderful. Henry's blood flowing through her made her glow. Sitting beside her, she sat up next to him.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well..I've had better," she teased. Henry cocked his head and frowned.

"You've had other's blood?" He asked with concern.

Vicki giggled, he was jealous.

"Not hardly," she sighed. Looking around the room, she had the sudden realization she could see better. She also knew her wounds were healing better and the pain she'd had was gone. She knew it would return eventually but for now, Henry's blood was the best painkiller in the world not to mention an incredible aphrodisiac.

"Thank you," she whispered, her hand on his cheek. Her skin was warm and smelled wonderful. Her scent was intoxicating to Henry. His blood in her body pulled them together in a deep, passionate way. Vicki could see Henry for the first time, clearly and he was indescribably delicious. She was amazed. His eyes were so blue, his lips full and pink, his hair so full of soft brown curls and his eyelashes, she could see his eyelashes. Once again, her eyes misted with tears but this time they were tears of happiness.

"You're welcome, let's get you out of here," he stroked her face with his thumb, rubbing her bottom lip before turning around to leave.

Vicki stopped him, turned his face to her and kissed him passionately. Henry eagerly returned the kiss, his tongue exploring every part of her mouth, tasting his own blood in her mouth was erotic. She moaned unwillingly into his kiss and he returned the moan. His tongue laved hers and danced with her as if they'd been lovers for eternity. He truly did have many skills but Vicki matched him in each way. Pulling away, Vicki blushed when she realized she'd virtually attacked him.

"I'm sorry, must be your blood," she shook her head.

"Okay, if you say so," Henry smirked and smiled sexily. Taking her hand, he led her to the hall once more.

"Jeez, I've had a three course meal go faster," Mike huffed. His eyes darted away from Vicki's glare.

"We need to go, out of the fire escape, can you make it Vic?" Mike asked. Still holding Henry's hand tightly, she nodded.

"Sure, I feel better, just not sure how long it will last," Vicki shrugged. They went back to the room Henry found Vicki in and Henry stopped as he took notice of the pictures.

"Look at this," Henry whispered. He glanced around and realized what was going on with Brother Isaac.

"I think I know what's going on." Henry offered.

A voice behind them said, "Too little, too late..."


	20. The Chosen One

Brother Isaac stood in the doorway, his luming figure blocking out the light but amazingly, Vicki could see him clearly. Henry vamped out and put Vicki behind him for protection. Mike came to stand beside Henry and took a defensive stance as well.

"I know what you are," Henry said in his otherwordly voice.

"Oh my sweet dear prince, do you? What am I? I'm God's warrior," Isaac said.

"You defile God with your evil," Henry inched toward Isaac. Isaac's eyes turned darker than Mike thought was humanly possible and watched as he began to morph in front of them. Soon, Javier Mendoza stood in front of them.

"What the hell?" Mike shook his head and frowned.

"I'm baaack!" Isaac threw back head as Henry growled and moved a bit closer.

"I wouldn't do that vampire, your friend there," he pointed to Mike, "has the Illuminacion De Sol." Mike's eyes widened, how did he know? he wondered.

"Mike! How could you?" Then Vicki thought to herself, you did too but that was before the law had been passed. She had never intended on using it on Henry, did she?

"I wasn't going to use it, Vic," Mike tried to convince Vicki it was purely to keep it out of the wrong hands, he wasn't having much luck.

"Whatever, Mike," Vicki snorted.

"Why are you doing this yet again? How did you get here?" Vicki snapped her fingers.

"I think I can answer that, it says here, "she pointed to the spell book, " that a 'distant relative can request an interchange of souls amongst the dead with the proper incantation and willingness to give up one's soul," Vicki slammed the book shut, "isn't that right Mendoza?"

"Very good Ms. Nelson, that is correct and in Brother Isaac, I found a pure and luckily related soul," Isaas or rather Mendoza now, laughed. His eyes shifted to Mendoza's then back to Isaac's.

"You mean.." Mike pointed and stared in disbelief, "that THIS is actually that crazy ass priest? You've got to be kidding me?"

"I wish we were Mike," Vicki told him. Isaac began to circle Henry.

"You are an abomination, vampire, you're not human, you are not going to Heaven, you are evil in God's eyes," Isaac/Mendoza told Henry. Henry continued his stance, wary of what Isaac/Mendoza might attempt.

"You are not His judge," Henry hissed.

"I'm not? Then why has he allowed me to exchange souls? That's not to be taken lightly, I am His warrior, a Chosen One."

Vicki snorted, "Clearly you're crazy as hell."

"You will be dealt with, I can smell his blood on you. You too are tainted and must be dealt with. As soon as I am through with him, you're next," Isaac/Mendoza told Vicki.

Vicki watched intently, she could see so clearly still and she noticed that with each movement Henry made, he inched a little closer to the crazed man. She decided a diversion might be in order.

"So, why don't you tell us exactly what's going on here? What's with the 'case', the affair," Vicki prodded.

The man laughed, "There was no affair. I made that up, I wanted the mayor's family to fall apart. If it fell apart, then his office would turn against him, I have people to help me. If it looked as though the mayor's perfect little family was sordid, well," he shrugged, "I could step in and clean this city up, repeal this law and get things back on track."

"So..what were they really doing then?" Vicki watched Henry move closer still. Isaac/Mendoza turned to give her full attention.

He sighed, rolled his eyes and responded, "Some private investigator you are, Ms. Nelson. The mayor's oldest daughter is married, her husband is taking piano lessons from her sister. NOW..to make things look normal, the wife went with him but stayed in the car so he wouldn't be nervous. But, with your surveillance information, that's not what it looked like was it?" Vicki shook her head no.

"That's right, and then, who would the public believe, me..a man of God or them, the ones who pushed for evil to take over their city?" Isaac/Mendoza turned to point at Henry and was surprised to see him inches from his face.

"Hello there Father..."


	21. Justice

Isaac/Mendonza's eyes went wide, Henry's fangs dropped and in the blink of an eye, Henry grabbed the man of God as he called himself and sank them into his neck. Mike openly grimaced not only from the sound coming from Isaac/Mendoza but the sight as well. Henry was bleeding him out, the priest's body was flopping and convulsing wildly beneath Henry's grip and the sound Henry made while killing him was almost too much for Mike. Vicki never took her eyes from Henry or the scene. She watched intently as Henry drained the life from the man. Suddenly, the priest emitted a strange glow, his body shuddered and popped. Mike and Vicki had to shield their eyes from the glare. A shrieking sound accompanied the glow and Vicki knew then it was Mendoza's soul leaving Isaac. Henry pulled away and dropped Isaac's limp body to the floor. Isaac lay dead, Mendoza's soul was sent back to where it came from and once again, Henry had attacked a human.

"Great," Mike raised his hands and slapped them to his sides, "Just great Henry. Another one, how do we explain this one?" Henry was still in vampire mode and uncomfortable with Mike having a weapon before answering him.

"Detective, I would feel more comfortable if you'd give the hardware to Vicki," Henry growled slightly. Mike gulped but held his ground.

"No, not yet Fitzroy. I asked, how are we going to explain this, him?" Mike pointed. Henry glanced down at the dead man.

"I could turn him," Henry shrugged. MIke thought for a moment, then decided against it. While it would have been ironic, it would not have gone over well in the public eye.

"As much as I would enjoy him freaking out, the city would be uneasy. Another option?"

Vicki spoke, "Let's burn the house."

"What?" Mike and Henry said in unison.

"Why not? We can say a fire erupted up here, we ran downstairs, got the others out and his body burned so badly, no one knows how he died," Vicki offered.

"This..this is too much..murder, now arson.." Mike shook his head and began to pace. Henry and Vicki watched Mike struggle with the situation and her solution.

"I'm a cop dammit!" Mike yelled.

"We are fully aware of that but are you prepared to go public that a crazy holy man called up his ancestor and switched souls in order to get rid of me and that in order to stop him I had to kill him?" Henry said firmly.

Mike blinked and shook his head, "Okay, that sounds so much worse when you say it out loud. Vicki, looks like your plan is the best so far, let's get busy. Henry, can you round up his partners, maybe.." Mike sighed, "I can't believe I"m asking this but could you, you know..use your mojo on them?" Mike asked. He was uncomfortable to say the least. Asking Henry to help was devastating but necessary.

"Of course, I need to protect myself as well as you and Vicki," Henry nodded. That had been the perfect opportunity for Henry to say something smart ass to Mike and yet, he took the high road showing them he was better person than Mike made him out to be. He started to turn and head toward the heartbeats he could detect and turned back, "Detective, get her out safely, understand?" Henry's eyes were still dark.

"Yeah, got it," Mike said ruefully. As Henry was heading downstairs, he was met with Isaac's partners. They'd heard the commotion and were shocked to find Henry there. They turned to run but Henry was in front of them in an instant.

"Come, we need to chat," Henry ordered them outside. Upstairs, Vicki searched for oil lamps or anything else that might cause a fire. After some digging and a slight amount of pain, she found two.

"Here," she stood and winced, bending over slightly.

"You okay?" Mike steadied her but she pulled away.

"I'm fine, let's get this done." Vicki looked around at the room full of pictures. What a waste that Mendoza had used his ability to coerce people into doing things for one thing and one thing only, ridding the world of Henry. Fortunately, he had failed and for that, Vicki was grateful.

Years of training had made Mike and Vicki privy as to how to start a fire without being detected. Once they were finished, Vicki was spent and beginning to hurt again.

"Let me help you, Vic. Stop being so fucking stubborn," Mike told her.

Vicki eyed him and knew that she had to have help wether she wanted it or not. After getting her down the stairs, he made his way to the front door to find Henry outside with the two men, rearranging their account of things. Just as Henry turned to see Mike getting Vicki out, Mike leaned in and kissed Vicki on the lips. Growling, Henry was in front of him with vampire speed.

"What are you doing?"

In a flash, Mike had the Illuminacion De Sol out of his pocket, "This..."


	22. Helping Hand

Henry's eyes widened and Vicki stepped in between the men.

"What the fuck Mike?!" Vicki's adrenaline took over, anger coursed through her and her pain was almost non-existent at this point.

"I'm giving it to him, Vicki. Slow your roll," Mike huffed. Vicki frowned.

"Slow your roll?" Vicki repeated.

"Yeah, new street term," Mike smiled confidently hoping his new slang would impress them.

"Actually, it's a few years old but whatever. Mike, I would have killed you," Vicki told him in all seriousness.

"Yes, I know. I'm giving it to Fitzory, not using it on him, give me some credit Vic," Mike handed it to Henry. Henry stared at it while turning it over and over in his hand. The look on his face was one of disbelief that Mike would hand it over. The fact it was a weapon of pain and torture wasn't lost on Henry either. The memories of what Mendoza had done to him flooded his mind painting a frown and look of angst on his face. Mike felt somewhat guilty in knowing that Henry thought he was going to use it on him and after seeing his face, the guilt increased tenfold.

"Look, I was a little..hasty in my judgement of you Henry," Mike finally admitted. Slowly, Henry glanced back at Mike.

"Thank you..Mike," he answered. Vicki looked between the two of them and the moment was surreal. Her decision to be with one of them was more difficult than ever. On the one hand, Mike was human, he would age with her and he was familiar but on the other there was Henry. He was so damn sexy, he was romantic and he accepted her faults. Henry's only drawback was his immortality but with his blood running through her veins, she was able to see him the way he saw her, with clarity and purity. He was beautiful, Mike was rugged and handsome but Henry was so fucking beautiful that it was hard to focus on anyting else. The emotional overload was too much and she collapsed. Henry caught her before she hit the ground but not before putting the Illuminacion De Sol safely in his pocket. He would tuck it away in his special hiding place forever, never to be used or thought of again.

"Vicki? Vicki, talk to me," Mike was kneeling beside her. It was at that moment smoke began to pour from the house. Mike and Henry looked at one another.

"Henry, get her out of here, you go too. I'll clean up this mess, " Mike nodded for him to leave. Henry scooped Vicki up and instinctively, her arms went around his neck, her head lolled against his shoulder and she curled into him. She was exhausted and weak, his blood only did so much for her healing process and she needed medical attention and rest.

"Thank you, for everything," Henry said softly.

"Ah..get outta here man," Mike shooed him away and walked toward Isaac's followers that had gathered outside of the now fiercely burning house.

"Call 911," Mike shouted to the crowd. He was glad the case was over but knew in his heart that his kiss to Vicki was nothing more than a friendship kiss. The spark that used to accompany those kisses was no longer there. He turned to watch Henry carry her away and his heart fell. He was happy for Vicki but still, he felt hurt, alone and empty. What was out there for him? At that moment, Kate ran to Mike.

"Hey, Mike..what the hell happened?" her eyes were wide and she was out of breath.

"Well, where do I start.." he smiled.

Henry put Vicki in his car, buckled her up and took her to Coreen. Coreen answered the door yawning and dressed in...

"Hello Kitty pajamas? Really?" Henry smiled.

"NOT a word, Henry..to anyone..hey, a girl's gotta be comfortable, right?" she said standing firmly with her hands on her hips and her pink lips frowning. Henry was holding a still sleeping Vicki.

"What's wrong with her?" Coreen asked.

"She's worn out and she needs rest. I'm afraid I can only stay a couple of hours and then she'll need assistance for the daytime shift, can you help her?"

Coreen nodded, opened her door wider and motioned for Henry to come in.

"Take her into my room, I'll take the couch. Is there anything special I need to do?" Suddenly, it was at the forefront of knowledge that Coreen was not just a kid. She was mature and wise beyond her years much more than anyone gave her credit for.

"She needs rest and fluids, she should be fine. How are you Coreen?" Henry asked, his brow furrowing and his eyes scanning her apartment. Surprisingly or maybe not so much, it was an eclectic mix of things. She had multiple religious items everywhere from Christianity to Buddhism, cultural aritifacts, many different types of books and family photos.

"Oh, I'm good," she half-smiled.

"Have you told the father?"

"What? Why?" Coreen was flustered.

"Well, he needs to help Coreen, he needs to be a man," Henry was genuinely concerned for her.

"No, I haven't and I won't. We broke up like a month ago. I had no idea I was pregnant, not that it would have changed things but, well, it just wasn't working out. It seems," she glanced at him, then grinned, "it seems almost funny to say it out loud but..he decided he liked boys more than girls. It explained alot though, he really did enjoy helping me with my makeup when we went out,"she was so nonchalant it took Henry a moment to process what she said.

"Oh.." was all he said.

"Hey, no worries. I'm good, I"m going to be a mom, scary huh?" Coreen giggled.

"Maybe, maybe not, at any rate, I will be more than happy to help," Henry offered. Ever the gentleman, Coreen thought.

"You want kids don't you?" Coreen asked quietly. Henry nodded slowly and then told her it was not possible.

"Oh, wait..I think it is though," she jumped up and grabbed one of the large books in a pile.

"I've been reading..here look.." she pointed as she thumbed through the old book. Henry read the passage and shook his head.

"Coreen, this won't work. That's an old remedy for infertility," he knew it was from the middle ages because he recognized the formula.

"How do you know? Can't hurt to try right?"

"Why? Who would be my..mate?" he offered. Coreen peered over his shoulder, her eyes tipping his shoulder ever so slightly as she looked at Vicki then she pointed.

"Sure, Vicki is going to offer up her womb for my child," Henry sighed as he glanced at the peacefully sleeping Vicki, her honey-blonde hair framing her face, her breasts rising and falling with each breath she took, "she doesn't care for me like that Coreen, "he turned back to the young girl, "but thanks. I appreciate it. Now, I'm going to sit with her a bit before sunrise decides to take over once again." Henry would love nothing more than to be with Vicki, to father children if she would let him and spend eternity with her but that was just a pipe dream. Coreen hated to see Henry in such turmoil.

Coreen watched Henry make his way to Vicki, there had to be something she could do, she thought to herself.

Coreen grinned as she thought of just the thing to do.....


	23. Reality

Coreen watched with fascination while Henry sat beside Vicki, held her hand, smoothed her hair and watched her with the tenderness that only a man deeply in love could do. Putting her hand on her stomach, she vowed that she would show her child unconditional love and surround him or her with the people in her life that meant the most, including Henry, Vicki and Mike.

"I hope one day I have someone like you," Coreen softly with a loud sigh. Henry, never looking up, answered with, "you will." Finally, he leaned over, kissed Vicki's forehead and stood to leave. Inside, Henry wished Vicki knew what she had.

"I have to go," he frowned as he spoke. The pull of sunrise was so close he wasn't sure he'd make it home but for Vicki, death by sunrise would be worth it.

"I'll take good care of her Henry," Coreen told him with all the confidence the young girl could muster.

"I know, call my cell if anything occurs. I'll call you at sunset," he nodded then added, "and thanks." Coreen smiled then sighed as she made her way to the couch to rest. She knew when Vicki woke up, she would be angry that she was here and Coreen needed to get some rest before fighting with her stubborn boss.

Vicki's eyes fluttered but not because she was waking up, she was dreaming. It was a hot, erotic, sexy dream that involved one very sexy vampire. Henry was in nothing but his boxers while working at his lighted table. Vicki, not sure if she was dreaming or not, looked around the condo trying hard to discern if it was real or not. Looking down at herself, she knew it couldn't be, could it? She was in a very red, sexy teddy, did she own one of these.

"Uh..Henry is this a dream?" Henry, never looking up from his artwork replied, "you make your own dreams Vicki. Do you want it to be a dream, or reality?" He looked up and smiled, his eyes twinkling and his lips curling at the edges. The mere sight of his smile and his sexy blue eyes melted her resolve into nothing but mush.

"Well, if it's a dream, sure why not? Hell, it's been a long time since I had this kinda dream," she smiled back. What was the harm if it wasn't real? Why not enjoy herself? Slinking to where Henry worked, she was amazed at how realistic this dream seemed to be. It was in color, her eyesight was damned near perfect and she could smell Henry. Wait..she could smell Henry? Shaking the thought away, she moved closer and watched in amazement as his hands moved with lightening speed.

"Watcha drawin'?" she asked.

Looking up, he smiled, "You."

"Me? Let me see," Henry shook his head no and covered what he'd done so far. Vicki feigned pouting but it didn't work, Henry still said no.

"Fine then, shall I give you something else to be inspired with," Vicki said wickedly. It was a dream after all, right? she thought. No harm done then if she just dropped right out of her teddy, right? Right.

"Vicki, what are you doing?" Henry's mouth opened slightly while watching her slip the sexy teddy off. With flair, she tossed it behind her and stood with her hands on her hips.

"Like what you see?" she teased. Henry nodded, swallowed and growled simultaneously.

Motioning in a come hither motion, Vicki knew she had her dream Henry right where she wanted him, all to herself. Putting his charcoal down, he moved toward her with the grace and ease of a big cat. His sinewy muscles rippled beneath his alabaster skin, his eyes drank in her nude body, head to toe and his fangs begged to be released. Vicki knew what an effect she was having on 'her' Henry and she loved it. Soon, Henry was directly in front of her and they were eye to eye.

"What shall we do?" Vicki licked her full, red lips and moistened them.

"I'm at your mercy, this is your dream, remember?" Vicki mouthed 'oh' and proceed to push her body against his while she took his mouth over with a ferocious appetite. If it was indeed a dream, she was going to enjoy the full effect.

"Wait," she pulled back, both of them out of breath, albeit Henry's was unecessary but it was part of his life now, the illusion, "what if this is some kind of connection, like before? Are you doing that to me Henry? Are you mind fucking me?" Henry hated that term and refused to call it that when they had discussed it previously.

"No, I cannot enter your mind against your will, remember?" his eyes seemed to so genuine.

"Alright then, let's get to business," with that, she pulled his boxers off and audibly groaned. He was perfect everywhere, all over..each and every inch of him, and there were so many inches of him.

"Nice package," she grinned as she took him in her hands. He responded to her firm yet soft grip by hissing and arching into her. His mouth captured hers this time, probing deeply and twirling his tongue with hers. He was met with as much eagerness as he was giving, this was one tough, talented woman.

"Look, I want this dream to end in.." Vicki searched for the right words.

"A climactic ending?" Henry offered with a grin. Vicki tilted her head..it's just a dream, it's just a dream ran through her mind over and over.

"Yeah..think you can handle it?" she asked.

"Think YOU can?"


	24. Brunch

Vicki's body responded to Henry's touch like a fine-tuned piano, each strum of his fingers caressing her in such a way that she reacted to him without thinking twice. She didn't know why or how this was happening but she decided that after her stressful time lately, this would certainly help release some tension. Henry's mouth moved down her neck nibbling and licking his way to her chest and quickly found her pebbled nipple ripe for his hot, wet mouth. He covered it with a softness Vick hadn't expected but she welcomed it. Arching into him, she moaned and shuddered, became hotter and wetter and held her breath when his fingers reached into her wet walls to stretch and prod her.

"Henry.." she managed to whisper. Henry's strong arm held her up as her legs gave way beneath her. In one swift motion, he had her on his bed and how, she didn't know but she didn't care either. Laying her down gently, he sat and looked at her, drinking in her beauty all over again. In that position, Vicki could see his hard, yet silky erection while it bobbed in a greeting of sorts. He was perfectly formed and while she wasn't sure if it was a birth thing or a vampire thing, she knew right away she could have cared less. The head was wide as was the shaft, that thought alone made her shudder with delight. The veins bulged from the pressure of his blood beneath the surface. Vicki couldn't recall having seen such a man as him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Henry asked.

"You don't wanna know," Vicki blushed and bit her lip.

"Oh, but I think I do know," he growled as he bent in to kiss her again. Vicki groaned and sighed into his kiss as their tongues fought each other for dominance.

"Henry," Vicki pulled back breathless, "this IS just a dream right?"

"Would it be so bad if it weren't?" he frowned.

Vicki thought before answering, "No, not really but it's just...odd I guess." Henry smiled a sexy smile and bent in to kiss her more fervently this time. Vicki's eyes were closed while he kissed her and a sudden noise made her jump, her eyes flying open wide. When she did, she saw she was somewhere unfamliar, Henry was nowhere to be found and she certainly wasn't naked. In light of the fact she was in an unfamiliar location, that probably wasn't a bad thing.

"Damn," Vicki mumbled while trying to ease of of the bed she was in. She looked around and realized that she was in Coreen's apartment, her goth boots by the door gave it away. Sighing, she moved slowly. Her body felt as if it had been run over, beat and then run over once more. Upon entering the kitchen, she was met with the aroma of eggs, bacon and possibly oatmeal, she wasn't sure.

"Hey Coreen," Vicki grunted out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did dropping the frying pan wake you?" Coreen asked.

"Yeah..just a little. What time is it?" Vicki squinted, her great vision was back to shitty vision.

"Almost two in the afternoon, you were really out of it so I decided to let you sleep, hungry?" Coreen asked while pointing to the vast array of food on the table. Vicki couldn't believe the sight before her.

"You..cook?" Vicki asked in disbelief.

Coreen laughed, "Well I DO eat so yes, I can cook. Besides, " Coreen bent back to the pan to finish the bacon, "with two younger brothers at home and a single mom at work, it was kinda up to me."

Vicki had no idea Coreen had two younger brothers nor that her mother was single. Yet again, it was also a prominent reminder that Vicki was so self-absorbed sometimes she never bothered to ask any questions or become involved with anyone remotely close to her. Suddenly, she remembered that Coreen was pregnant and needed to be told.

"Oh..coffee," Coreen handed Vicki a cup. She was uncomfortable beyond words, Vicki didn't do emotional scenes and she wasn't sure how Coreen would respond. On top of that, she was in Coreen's apartment, being fed great food and had no idea what had gone on once she passed out back at the house.

"Mmmm..that is really great coffee Coreen, thanks," Vicki cleared her throat and shifted slightly in the chair Coreen had insisted she sit in.

"Coreen, I need to..." Vicki started but Coreen cut her off. She whirled around and smiled.

"I know, I'm pregnant!" Coreen was giddy, Vicki didn't do giddy either.

"You know? Who told you?"

"Henry when we thought.." Coreen looked away and turned the bacon off then turned back, a hint of tears in her eyes, "when we thought you might not make it. That really scared me, Vicki."

"Well, I'm like the engergizer bunny," Vicki laughed it off as she tried to avoid any outbursts from the now hormonal young girl.

"Yeah, well," Coreen joined Vicki at the table. Grabbing a plate, she filled it for her boss and sat it in front of her.

"You need to eat, to build up your strength," Vicki smiled weakly and dove in realizing she was so hungry that the food was the best she'd eaten in a very long time.

"This is great Coreen, thank you," Vicki said between mouthfuls. She asked Coreen to tell her what had happened, how she got there and then made it a point to ask about her homelife. She felt she owed Coreen that much, to listen. Coreen told her about her mother's struggle raising the children without her father's help, how Coreen's father had left them when she was seven and how she tried to help her mother as much as possible. She told her too that she wasn't sure she was going to tell her mother just yet, she was afraid of her reaction.

"Coreen," Vicki laughed slightly, "you're a grown woman, on her own. What the hell?"

Coreen cast a downward glance before answering, "Yes, I know. But mom, she wanted me to get my degree, become successful, meet a great man and then settle down. She won't be excited for me, that's all. I think I'm doing okay. I've got a great job, a great apartment and I save my money so..." she trailed off. Vicki took note she said she had a great job, that meant alot to Vicki. She sometimes felt she took Coreen for granted and knew that Coreen was valuable to her. She would help her anyway she could.

"Look, I'm not real good at this but, I will help. Whatever I can do, let me know and thank you for taking me in today," Vicki patted Coreen's hand softly. Looking as though she would cry, Coreen cleared her throat and took a large gulp of milk.

"Thanks, might have to take you up on that one day. Now, what about you and Henry?" Coreen narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean, what about us?"

"You have been moaning his name the last two hours, come on..spill it.." Coreen smiled.

"I..well..I.." Vicki was not telling Coreen..'oh I was having this HOT erotic dream that was about to get alot hotter when you dropped the fucking frying pan!' no, that would not be good.

"Stuttering, hmm..sure sign of something," Coreen teased.

Vicki's face turned red and she continued to eat. Sign of what? What was up with her and Henry? What was going on or would go on?

She would soon find out...


	25. A Date?

Vicki went home with strict orders from Coreen to take the day off. The way Vicki felt, that was not going to be a problem. Coreen drove her home and told her that Henry would be by later to check.

"I'm not an invalid, Coreen," Vicki told her while trying to stifle a groan.

"Yes, I know but I'm following orders," Coreen cocked her head and grinned.

Thanking her under her breathe once more, Vicki exited the car and trudged to her office apartment to take a hot shower and rest again. While letting the hot water run over her head and down her body, Vicki wondered to herself just what she'd thought Henry was supposed to be like. Was he this cad, a predatory beast who sought nothing but sustenance and his own sexual pleasure? Or, was he this caring romantic that truly thought of others and wanted to make sure his 'meal' as it were, enjoyed the experience? Was he relationship material? Did that even matter to her? She sure as hell wasn't relationship material but that dream, or whatever it was, damn! If that wasn't a dream, then Vicki would be a fool not to at least pursue some type of pleasure herself by giving in to Henry, even it it was just unattached sex. If it was a dream, it was the most realistic dream she'd ever had and wouldn't mind finishing it. Smiling to herself while she toweled off, she didn't notice it was past sunset when she stepped into her bedroom area.

Vicki nearly jumped out of her skin when Henry spoke a soft, "Hello."

"Henry!" Vicki exclaimed while grabbing the towel wrapped around her a little tighter.

"How did..What are you doing in here?" She scanned the room for a quick exit. Her heart was pounding, her mind was still reeling from thinking of her dream and her body responded to his close proximity in a way it should not be, or rather, she wasn't ready for her body to respond that way involuntarily.

"I wanted to see about you, Vicki, nothing more. Are you okay?" Henry moved toward her slowly. He didn't sense fear in her but anticipation. His eyes seemed to be genuine, the worry in them real and honest.

"Gee thanks but I've had worse beatings at the gym," she shrugged.

"Mmm..so you get shot often too?" he teased.

"No, not often, never really," she trailed off. She tried to look uninterested and began to find a way to retreat back into the bathroom to find something to put on, anything, a robe, shirt, something.

"What's the matter?" Henry prodded knowing full well what was happening to her.

"You weren't mind..I mean, in my mind today were you?" Vicki stopped herself from using the term Henry hated.

Henry shook his head, "Me? No, not me. I'm dead for intensive purposes during the day, remember? We don't dream." His smile was just a bit too michevious for Vicki to fully believe him. Vicki mouthed an 'oh' and nodded her head in agreement. Henry was amused with her reaction.

"Well, I shall go. You need rest," taking her hand, he kissed the back of it gently. Vicki's heart leapt into her throat nearly. Here she was, naked save a towel around her hair and body, Henry, the hot vampire, the sexy, romantic vampire, here in her bedroom and she just let him walk away.

"By the way, our date?" Henry reminded her.

"Date?"

"Yes, you agreed to go on a real date with me, after the case," Vicki did remember and now regretted it. She didn't want all of the messiness of dating and relationships, least of all with Henry, did she? No, she didn't. She just wanted hot, erotic, sticky and non-commital sex.

"Date, right. Uh..tomorrow night then?" she offered.

"I'll be here an hour after sunset, get some rest Victoria," and with that he was gone.

Feeling very unsatisfied and pent up, Vicki flopped on her bed, threw herself back and sighed.

What the hell was she going to do? Go on the date? Be cordial? She'd seen this man naked in her dream! She wanted him, badly that was undeniable but no strings attached. She wanted nothing.

She had to keep telling herself that, but did she believe it?


	26. Second Job

Surprisingly, the next few weeks Henry seemed to be just Henry. He spent time at Vicki's office, helping her out and avoiding the whole 'date' thing. Soon, however, Vicki became impatient and wondered if he'd changed his mind. It wasn't so much she wanted to go on a date, it wasn't as if he didn't have the lottery meals keeping him busy it was the simple fact he was the one that had made the date, not her. While going over a case file, Vicki non-chalantly told Henry she was healed from her recent injuries to gage his reaction.

"I got a clean bill of health from the doctor," Vicki said looking up from the computer screen.

"That's great," Henry smiled. Vicki narrowed her eyes, ground her teeth and got back to work. Coreen popped her head in and called to Henry.

"Hey, you ready?" Coreen smiled.

"For what?" Vicki asked.

"Oh, it's great! Didn't Henry tell you?" Coreen tilted her head.

"Tell me what?"

"Coreen has asked me to be her coach. I'm going to all of her visits with her," Henry smiled. Vicki swore she heard Henry sigh a little, Henry never sighed. Henry didn't even breathe, it wasn't necessary but he did it on occassion to keep up the masquerade.

"That's peachy, but uh..what about his issue with sunlight and going to the doctor?" Vicki was seething but she kept that to herself. She had no right to be angry. Henry didn't belong to her, he didn't belong to anyone and if Coreen needed help, he was the better of the two to help out. Secretly, she was somewhat disappointed Coreen hadn't asked her.

"Luckily, Henry found someone that works nights, it's perfect," Coreen grinned. Perfect, lucky, yeah right.

"Alright, have fun," Vicki shooed them out.

"Vicki, are you mad?" Coreen asked, "I was going to ask you but I figured it wasn't your thing and Henry always wanted kids so, well I just thought it'd be neat."

"Yes, Coreen it's neat, go on, no I'm not mad, just busy okay?" Vicki shot a sideways glance to see Henry staring at her with such an intensity she felt as though his eyes were boring a hole in her head.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Coreen bounded out with Henry in tow but not before he looked at Vicki one more time.

"Groovy," Vicki muttered. Henry smiled to himself. He had not forgotten his offer to take her out. He was simply waiting to see if she was anticipating or dreading it and by tonight's reaction to his lack of reaction regarding her health, it spoke volumes. The news Coreen dropped on Vicki and her response to that as well told Henry that Vicki might indeed want him more than she was willing to admit.

Vicki pounded her keys in an effort to take her mind somewhere else. Why was she so angry? She didn't care if Coreen preferred Henry over her, did she? A vampire, over a human, did that make her mad? No, she decided it was ridiculous. Time flew so quickly once Vicki continued her work she hardly noticed that two hours had gone by.

"We're back," Coreen bounded in, her arm outstretched with some type of picture in it.

"What's this?" Vicki stood up and looked at the fish in the photo.

"The baby, it's so cool Vicki, I never thought I'd be excited like this but I am and OH..Henry's such a help! He could hear the heartbeat, I was scared because she couldn't find it at first but then Henry nodded and I felt better, cool huh?"

"Yeah.." Vicki stared at the blob in the small black and white photo. A baby. Coreen was going to have a baby and she had nothing. Deep down, Vicki wanted the whole thing too but she knew that was a pipe dream. There would never be a man that would be able to handle her and was she mother material anyway? She didn't know but she did know that she would put on a happy face for Coreen. Handing it back to her, she smiled.

"That is great Coreen. I'm very excited for you," Vicki's smile seemed genuine but Henry could sense something else.

"Thanks, off to work," Coreen was giddy, yet again. Vicki rolled her eyes.

"If that girl was any more perky, I'd swear she was on something," Vicki shook her head as she poured herself a bourbon.

"You need that?" Henry asked.

"Mmm," Vicki slugged it back in one gulp, "yep, I did. Now would care to help me please? I've got to wrap this up. And, I forgot to tell you, the hospital told Mike that Esther was going to be in a vegetative state the rest of her life, go figure." Vicki shrugged.

"Yes, go figure," Henry smiled. Deciding that the tension was too thick in the room, Henry caught Vicki off-guard.

"Now, about that date..."


	27. Gifts

Vicki shrugged and said, "Date? I guess, Henry. I am a woman of my word." She tried to busy herself and hoped her heart would not give her anticipation away. Her erotic dreams had continued long after she'd had the first one and time and time again they were realistic to the point she'd felt she'd actually been with Henry. That was not possible but that's exactly how she felt. If nothing else, she wanted to fuck his brains out just from morbid curiousity alone, to see if her dreams were as good or better than reality.

"And I a man of mine, so tomorrow night good for you?" he asked coyly.

"Sure, why not. What time?" she stacked papers and turned her computer off.

"An hour after sunset, I'll send a car."

"Wait," she stopped, "you aren't picking me up?"

"No, I'll be waiting for you though, trust me?" he flashed that smile. Vicki involuntarily licked her lips and nodded, her mouth dry and in between her legs wet with desire for this man. Damn what he did to her! she thought to herself. She hated feeling so dependent and needy.

"Why wouldn't I? You did save my life, I kinda owe ya," she snorted. Henry frowned.

"I don't want you to feel as if you owe me, Victoria, I want you to come willingly and if not, then please, excuse yourself from the obligation," Henry's voice was full of displeasure.

"Henry, that's not what I meant. Of course I want to go, I trust you," she tried to soften his anger with a weak smile. He nodded but didn't change his expression. Great, Nelson, just great, she told herself.

"'Til tomorrow," he nodded and was gone with a rustle of papers. Vicki's hair whipped around her face as he left her standing in her office with mixed feelings. As if on cue, Mike walked in.

"I see your pet has been here," Mike glanced around the office at the papers strewn everywhere. Vicki bent to gather them and Mike without needing prompting bent over to help.

"Hello to you too, Mike," Vicki said curtly.

"Just wanted to check on ya," Mike stood to hand her the stack he'd gathered.

"Great, just great. Much better, actually," she said honestly.

"Need a ride home?" Vicki tilted her head and wondered what his ulterior motive was but for now, she was tired, hungry and didn't care.

"Sure, let's go. Drive though though, starving," Vicki rubbed her stomach. Mike said something on the way out that made her laugh and unbeknownst to them both, Henry was across the street watching the two of them leaving and laughing together. This date might not go as planned.

Vicki slept the better part of the day coming in after noon. Coreen, ever the faithful assistant, had her coffee ready to go. When Vicki arrived, she noticed Coreen seemed to be a little pale.

"Coreen, you okay?"

She nodded, swallowed hard and reached for a cracker.

"Oh, morning sickness?" Coreen breathed in through her nose, out through her mouth and nodded again.

"Gotcha, just make it to the bathroom wouldja?" Vicki chuckled heading into her office. She stopped cold when she saw a large box on her desk. It was gold and wrapped in a red bow.

"Coreeeen.." Vicki called over her shoulder. Before her freaky cases, as it were, Vicki would have opened it without a second thought but now, things could be rather dangerous.

"Yes," Coreen said weakly.

"This..where did this come from?" Vicki pointed.

"Umm...Henry..he.." Coreen covered her mouth and ran. Vicki closed her eyes and made a face when she heard her.

"Henry," she shook her head. Putting her coffee down, she moved toward the pretty box. As much as she hated to admit it, it was so very pretty. Taking the card, she immediately recognized his handwriting.

"Vicki, please accept this token, small that it may be, it will look lovely on you, Henry," Vicki read aloud.

"This should be interesting," she mumbled. The box held a beautiful deep blue dress, one that would bring out her eyes Henry was sure and hence, his reason for picking it. Holding it up to herself, it was going to be perfect fit. She noticed a smaller box next to it.

"Shoes," she sighed. Opening that box, they too were beautiful. The entire ensemble would look great but should she wear it? Wouldn't that show Henry that he was in control, telling her what to dress and where to go? Vicki decided to view it as she was getting a chance to not worry if a date liked her look because he dressed her this time. Had it been up to her, jeans, a nice shirt or sweater and her boots would have been perfect.

Holding up the blue dress with the plunging yet perfect neckline, Vicki shook her head and sighed. Vicki had never dated a man that could dress better than her or for that matter, dress her better than her.

"If I didn't know better, Henry, I'd think you were gay..."


	28. Two Gay Men and A Lady

That evening, Vicki got ready to head home and get dressed for the big date. Coreen was packing up ready to leave too. Thankfully or maybe not, Vicki wasn't sure yet, they had no pressing cases.

"Coreen," Vicki stopped her, "I want to tell you I'm..uh..well..what I'm trying to say is uh..." Vicki searched for 'I'm sorry' but couldn't seem to get it out. Coreen let her off the hook.

"If you're trying to apologize, it's not necessary. Actually, I'm touched that you'd be a little jealous," Coreen grinned.

Vicki was immediately defensive, "Whoa, whoa..I'm so not jealous..of what? You think I'm jealous? Why? Well I'm not," Vicki was fumbling her words while she tried telling Coreen she wasn't jealous.

"Ah..thou does protest too much..or whatever the saying is," Coreen shook her head, "but anyway Vicki, I was going to ask you, if I go into labor during the day, can you help me? Henry won't be available of course," she shrugged.

"If you don't mind me asking, what about.." Vicki was interrupted by the door being flung open. Her mouth dropped and her eyes went wide as two of the hottest yet most flamboyantly gay men walked into her office. Coreen rolled her eyes.

"Hey girl!" a blonde-haired one waved limply. He was dressed in the tighest jeans Vicki had ever seen..where the hell was his...never mind, she shook the thought away.

"Hey Steve," of course..Steve. Vicki stifled a giggle when the other half sashayed over to Coreen's desk.

"Hey there, who's your friend Coreen? She got a girlfriend? If not, I can hook her up," Vicki's face flushed.

"She's so not gay Steve, please," Coreen rolled her eyes.

Putting his hand on his chest, he said, "My bad! Gaydar must be off." Both men giggled and Coreen finally introduced the other man, Steve's partner as Mark. While both men were incredibly handsome, par for the course, they were so effiminate it made Vicki uncomfortable.

"This," Coreen pointed to Steve, "is the donor." Steve held out his hand for Vicki to shake. Not surprisingly, it was soft.

"Nice to meet you, sorry I thought you were on our side, you are just so...butch.." he looked her up and down.

"Steve!" Coreen slapped him. Looking at Vicki she added, "Don't even ask how I missed this, he was so normal when we dated."

"What? Hey, it's not like YOU weren't a tad off sweetie," he reminded Coreen. At this point, Vicki could no longer contain herself and began to laugh.

"I'm sorry," she wiped tears from her eyes, "but this.." she pointed between them, "is just too much."

"What? Like you're the relationship expert?" Steve said, hand on hip, eyes rolling and his other hand snapping in the air.

That got Vicki's attention, "Coreen, did you say anything?"

Her eyes wide with fear, Coreen shook her head no, "I value my job AND my life Vicki."

"Honey, it's Friday night and straight, gay, whatever, you're hot and here you are, at work..hellloo?? Doesn't take a psychic to see that," Vicki was flushed by now and angry he was right but then she remembered, she had a date.

"It just so happens..STEVE..I am leaving now to get ready for my date," Vicki snorted.

Steve and Mark clapped their hands, "OMG...that is awesome! Need some help?"

The smile wiped from Vicki's face, "What? No..no..I'm good," she waved them away.

Steve and Mark looked at one another, nodded and took one of Vicki's arms leading her to where Coreen was pointing, to Vicki's office apartment. Vicki glanced back at Coreen and mouthed "I'm going to kill you" while Coreen shrugged and waved.

"Oh girlfriend, you're gonna be so hot when we are done.." Steven began to ramble about hair and makeup and how the man that was taking her out would want to eat her alive.

"You have no idea," she mumbled as they plopped her in front of her mirror.

"Now..where to start.." Steve and Mark made her turn her back to the mirror, the wanted a big reveal they said.

"Oh wait..your clothes!" Mark clapped. She pointed to the gold box and they insisted she dress first, less chance to mess up makeup and hair they explained. After pulling the dress out, both men gasped, ooo'ed and ahhh'd.

"What?" Vicki asked.

"Honey, this is very expensive, off the rack, one of a kind," Steve said reverently.

"Really?" Vicki squinted at the designer label and shrugged, "okay."

"You have no idea do you honey?" Steve sighed and Mark shook his head. Vicki didn't get it and frankly didn't want to. She was nervous as hell and just wanted this to be over with. They worked quickly applying just the right amount of makeup, from eyeliner to lipstick, the 'non-smudge, for just those right moments' they'd giggled, to lightly applying her eye makeup so as not to look too slutty they told her and finally fixed her hair for the big finish. They started with putting it up but Vicki told them no, leave it down.

Steve and Mark both raised an eyebrow over her head at each other, "Your man likes to touch your hair?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, well..no..he's not my man..but yeah..he likes to touch my hair.." she stuttered.

"Mmmm.." Steve responded.

Vicki glared at him and Steve needed no prompting to know she wanted an answer.

"Honey, any man that plays with a woman's hair is a man in love..."


	29. Finally

After what seemed an eternity, the boys finished with Vicki and she did indeed look stunning.

"Still look butch?" Vicki asked dryly.

Steve clasped his hands together, Mark had his on his chest as if he would faint and they both stared into the mirror shaking their heads no.

"Oh sweetie, this is our best work yet, don't you think hon?" Steve asked Mark.

"Definitely, a swan princess," Mark said in a breathy voice.

"Well then, I'm out," Vicki stood and got a really good look at herself. Her breath hitched somewhat and she swallowed a lump in her throat. While dressing up wasn't the norm for her, Henry truly did know how to dress a woman to bring out her best features, to accentuate her body and face and of course, these two wonderful men had brought it all together. She was nervous as hell, that was unusual for her.

"Vicki.." Coreen called out, "your driver is here." Vicki thanked them both and headed out. They watched her leave and then followed her out into Coreen's office. After she was gone, Steve turned to Coreen and said, "Someone is so getting laid tonight." Mark nodded in agreement.

Coreen sighed and said, "Let's hope so.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Vicki looked at the mercedes parked in front of her office. The driver opened the door and with a swipe of his hand, shooed her in.

"Thanks," Vicki muttered. The glass partition was up affording Vicki some private time. Leaning her head against the seat, she took a ragged breath and blew out. It was pissing her off to no end she had such a bad case of nerves, she wasn't in high school! What the hell was wrong with her?

"Wow," Vicki said softly as she noted the bar built into the seat. She squinted and saw a small note attached to a box next to her in the seat. Rolling her eyes, she picked it up and opened it. Damn, she muttered to herself, another gift. It was a small necklace, a crucifix similar to Henry's but in solid gold.

The note read:

"So you know that I'm not a monster, I'm a God-fearing man that only wants to get to know you, please accept this a token of the start of a new chapter in your life.

See you in a bit,

Henry"

Shaking her head, Vicki put the necklace on. Being half-blind and alone the majority of the time, she was used to being able to zip herself and put on jewelry, she just wasn't used to being on the receiving end of so many wonderful gifts. Tapping on the glass to get the driver's attention, she jumped when he rolled down the smoked window.

"Yes ma'am?" he said.

"I was wondering, where are we going?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, ma'am." he smiled.

"Really? Well then, are you at liberty to tell me how much longer?" Vicki said through a forced smile.

He shared with her that they had arrived and stopped the car. Vicki cut her eyes at him and saw his twinkling from the huge grin that covered his face. Henry didn't use his mojo on the driver, the man simply enjoyed his job. Her door opened smoothly and his hand extended to help her out. Vicki, not wanting to be rude, took it and stepped out. Her mouth gaped when she saw she was at the Opera. She'd never been to the Opera but she knew Henry loved it.

"Enjoy," the man tipped his hat and before he left, Vicki thought of tipping him then realized Henry would have taken care of that. She felt a hand on her back the minute she smelled Henry in close proximity.

"If you don't want to attend, we can do something else," he whispered in her ear. Her body reacted with a slight shudder.

"No, this is great. I've never been," Vicki answered with sincerity. Henry motioned for her to go in while still touching her back. Henry's eyes never left her. He was stunned when he saw her exit the vehicle. Had he had any breath to take it away, it would have happened. Her thick, honey-blonde hair bounced as she moved, her breasts secured yet free, the way the dress accentuated her perfect curves and legs made him wonder how great they would feel wrapped around him in the throes of passion. The mere sight of her brought his beast to the surface and forced him to push it back.

"This is too much Henry, the dress, the necklace, I can't accept these you know," Vicki told him as they found their way to his private seats.

"You must, they aren't my size nor my color," he teased. Vicki laughed and when she did, Henry's eyes travelled to the juncture in her neck, the blood calling to him below the surface. The valley between her full breast jiggled lightly from her laughter and Henry, once again, had to force himself to concentrate. Showing her the private box, she was once again amazed.

"Wow, "she breathed out, " Henry, you're really something," she told him as she sat. Ever the gentleman, he pulled out her chair then helped her scoot up. Henry had prepared a dinner for her, or rather, had one prepared. While he didn't eat, he knew she would be hungry and decided a pre-opera dinner would be perfect. The waiter brought her covered plate and lifted it for her approval. Vicki's eyes crinkled with her smiled, Chinese, her favorite. Vicki ate quite ladylike. She continully suprised Henry and he loved that about her. You couldn't pin anything down as to being soley her personality, the only way she did things. He loved the challenge.

"Henry, that was great, thank you," Vicki told him. The opera was due to start in five minutes giving the staff enough time to rearrange their box for more comfortable seating. Henry reached into a bag and handed Vicki a pair of binoculars, high-powered ones.

"Impressive," she said. They sat next to each other, shoulders and legs touching at first. Within the first act, Henry had become bolder and put his arm around her shoulders. She began to shiver and whether it was from being cold or anticipation, Henry wasn't sure but he pulled her into him for added warmth. While his body stayed cool, he still emitted a little heat and wanted to share that with her. Soon, her hand was on his knee and during key emotional moments she'd squeeze and tears would well up in her eyes. Henry pretended not to notice her tears but was thrilled that while the opera was in another language, it still brought her to tears. This was another plus for Henry. Not only was Vicki strong and smart, she was classy as well. When the opera was over, Vicki even stood and clapped, yelling bravo along with the crowd. Henry felt she truly enjoyed herself. They retreated to their own back exit that Vicki suspected Henry put in. By the way he was treated, Vicki also felt he was a huge contributor. The staff were very professional, nodded to them as they and left and overall treated Henry as the royalty he actually was.

Once inside of his car, Henry asked Vicki if she'd had a good time.

"You know, surprisingly, it was great."

Henry frowned, "Surprisingly?"

"Oh..no Henry, I meant the Opera. I've never been and who would have thought that something I could not understand would touch me like that? Thank you," she covered his hand with hers and instinctively, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it. Thankfully, it was dark and Henry couldn't see Vicki blush. He could, however, hear her heart speed up.

"Where to now?" she cleared her throat and pulled her hand away slowly.

"It's up to you, care to see an old vampire flick?" he smiled wryly.

"Sure..where?"

"My place, if you're okay with that," he added. NO, she wasn't but she'd be damned if she was going to let him know that.

"I'm okay," she tried to sound non-chalant. They discussed the Brother Isaac case and made small talk on the way to his condo.

"..and so I hear too that Esther will never come out of her coma, you do have a way with women Henry," Vicki teased.

"Yes, well, unfortunate but she shot you, it was a defensive decision," he said seriously.

"I understand and I appreciate it Henry, really," Vicki told him. They had parked in his garage and before he could get out, Vicki leaned into him for a quick peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

"It's the least I could do, for trying to save me," she told him. Henry nodded and up they went to his condo. She kicked off her shoes and got comfortable on his couch. Popping in a DVD, Vicki shifted to try and put her feet up under her but in the dress she was wearing, that was not really possible.

"Here, lay your legs here and I'll rub your feet, were your shoes not comfortable?" he asked, his brow furrowing with worry. She reassured him they were.

"You don't have to do that," Vicki responded. He pulled her legs up into his lap anyway and her protests stopped the minute the foot massage began.

Five minutes into the movie, Vicki knew that she was not interested in whatever was on that screen. Henry had been a gentleman, not once trying to seduce her nor just quickly get into her pants. Hell, he hadn't even tried to kiss her. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. It was almost as if he was disinterested in her.

Where would things go from here?


	30. Seduce Me

Vicki stifled a moan. Her body was responding not only to Henry's touch but the actual massage itself.

"Am I hurting you?" Henry asked when he noticed her squirming.

"No, it's great actually," she told him in a breathy voice.

Henry's eyes sparkled with amusement, he knew what was wrong but still said and did nothing. Vicki turned her attention back to the movie and tried to concentrate but it was useless. She knew in her heart that she cared for him so what was so wrong and difficult about telling him? Relationship issues, that's what or that was her perception of things.

"Well, I should be going," Vicki said abruptly. Henry stopped rubbing and frowned.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No," she shook her head, "just you know...it's been great, I had a fantastic time but I need to get going." Her real reason, of course, was that not only was she wanting this man the more he touched her but she was slightly disturbed he was not his usual aggressive self.

"Vicki," Henry moved closer to her in a flash, his lips so close she could feel his breath, "you look beautiful and I have had such a wonderful time with you. You're smart, witty and strong. I like that, it's refreshing. I must confess something to you."

Vicki tensed, here it comes, the I just want to be fuck buddies speech.

"Yes?"

Henry turned away and when he turned back, his eyes were a deep blue, not black but deep, deep blue, full of desire from the man that was Henry, not the beast.

"I know you expected me to seduce you and I think you might be hurt that I didn't, thinking I don't desire you," Vicki interrupted him with a nervous giggle and a 'no', "but I also respect you. I care for you in ways I never thought possible, I want you so badly," he moved closer still, his body over hers and pressing against her so that she felt his desire as well "it hurts." With that, Vicki took his face in her hands and pulled him in. To his surprise, Vicki's mouth took his with force her tongue forcing his lips open and tasting him in an eagerness he hadn't known she possessed. Henry returned the favor, his hand moving to her neck and the other to her waist to pull her closer. Her breasts brushed his chest and he felt her hardened nipples through her dress. The hand at her neck went to her back to caress and touch her. Henry pulled away and both were breathless. Vicki's eyes were pooled with desire, her lips red and full from their passionate kiss.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Henry asked, his eyes searching her face for the truth.

"I want to, but.." Vicki licked her lips eliciting a slight grunt from Henry, "I'm not really sure about the whole relationship thing. Besides, you do have the lottery to feed you, lots of women at your disposal so I don't want you to think I'm expecting something monogamous."

Henry smiled slightly, "Is that what you think? That I have sex with all of my meals? What exactly did you expect Vicki?" Henry pulled back a little, amused to see her reaction and wait for her answer.

"Well," she cleared her throat, "honestly?" she cocked her head.

"Yes, honestly."

"I thought that..well I just assumed that had sex with each meal as you put it, I mean, why not? It's not like they aren't willing participants, even the men I guess," Vicki eyed him and he laughed, "no men then?"

"Continue," he told her, he knew there was more.

"I also assumed, wrongly I'll admit, that you full of yourself, arrogant and self-centered," she added.

"And now?" he said almost in a whisper.

"Now?" she shrugged, "You know what they say about assuming things," she said in her smart ass tone that Henry loved so well.

Henry knew she wasn't good at expressing her emotions so he let it go and decided he would show her just what kind of man he was but before he did that, he told her one last thing to ease her mind.

"Vicki, I want to reassure you that I don't have dessert with my meals, least of all men. I have had liasons, I won't deny that but for me, making love is much different than having sex, " Vicki once again licked her full, red lips.

"I agree," she said softly. Henry fingered the cross he'd given her and trailed his hand up to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"You'd better get moving before I change my mind," she said in a hoarse, sexy voice.

Obliging her wishes, Henry moved to her neck and began to kiss her again, nibbling with blunt teeth and laving his hot tongue in small circles.

"And for the record," he whispered in her ear, "I don't want to be with anyone but you and whether you'd ever admit it or not, I think you feel the same way." Vicki only shuddered in response.

Her head lolled as he continued his assualt on her neck, tendrils of erotic feelings rushing through her body like electricity. At this very moment, Vicki could have cared less what he did with other women as long as he did this to her on a regular basis. Her mind was screaming don't do it but her body was telling her mind to shut the fuck up. Who would she listen to? She wanted to scream seduce me..over and over again, multiple times, please! Her words went unspoken.

As Henry's hand moved to caress her bare thigh, one of them won the battle....


	31. Do Vampires Like Chocolate?

Henry's hand inched up her thigh, pushing her dress along the way to reveal her muscular yet soft upper leg. Vicki groaned and shivered with excitement.

"Are you cold?" Henry pulled away and asked.

"No, not at all," she told him, she was far from cold. Henry stood and held his hand out.

"What?"

"I'd rather take you somewhere and make love to you the proper way versus on the couch like two teenagers," he smiled.

"But technically you are a teenager," she reminded him smiling sexily at him.

"True, but one with years of experience," he corrected her. Her mouth went dry while moisture gathered between her legs.

Vicki couldn't disagree with that and although it bothered her to a degree, she was grateful too. Remembering her sexual encounters as a teen did not stir up memories of hot lovemaking, they were five minute boys, if she got that. This teenager would be a refreshing change, not to mention he was so incredibly romantic and sexy. Those things were more than in his favor. The last man she'd been with was Mike and it was over a year ago. Henry led her to his bedroom and upon opening the doors, Vicki clicked her tongue.

"Huh..no interest my ass," she said pointing to the romantic setting. Candles of different sizes and color adorned the room, rose petals were laid out on his silk sheets and what appeared to be melted chocolate, whipped cream and something else Vicki couldn't make out sat beside the bed.

"Hey, a man can dream can't he? Besides, I don't want you think I'm selfish, I just hoped that you'd feel the same and if that were the case, I want to make this an experience you won't soon forget, Am I arrogant and self-absorbed for wanting to please you?"

How could she be mad at him? No other man, not even Mike in his most romantic mood, would go to these lengths. She couldn't fault him trying to be romantic versus wham bam thank you ma'am which oftentimes was the case with men. Henry bent to kiss her again, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close in a tight embrace before she could open her mouth to protest. Vicki melted into him, her arms going around his neck and her body relaxing under his touch. His lips brushed her eyes, cheeks and lips before moving to her neck. Vicki's hands pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans and lifted it easily over his head. While pulled away from her, Henry drank in her beauty once again. He growled low in his throat and Vicki froze, tilted her head then realized it was a growl of desire, not aggression.

"Down boy," Vicki teased. Her eyes travelled to his chest then back to his face. Leaning in, she placed soft, wet kisses on his neck, Henry shuddered and growled again. Her kisses moved to his chest, her hands working on undoing his jeans as her tongue found his nipples hardened. She loved the cool feel of his skin contrasting with her hot tongue, it was most erotic and so different from what she was used to. She had a momentary thought that it was something she could definitely get used to.

Henry reached around to her dress and with speed Vicki was impressed with, unzipped her. He pushed her right shoulder down, kissed it and caressed her upper arm. Henry enjoyed Vicki's curves and her athletic feel too, it was refreshing to see a woman in shape and happy with her body. He followed this action by repeating the same on her left. By now, Henry's jeans were completely undone and Vicki had forced him onto the bed. Henry was impressed with her forcefulness, that was usually his job. He was leaned back propped on his elbows as Vicki stood before him. The beautiful dress hung precariously on her breasts and with one simple push, off it went. Henry audibly gasped. Vicki was more beautiful than he imagined. Her breasts were round and peaked, her stomach firm and the soft mound of hair between her legs that match her flowing hair called to him, invited him and made him harder with desire than he thought possible.

Henry stood abruptly and swirled Vicki around, putting her down gently on the bed. She could see at a quick glance, even in the dim light, his jeans strained from the erection that seemed to grow with each passing minute. Swiftly, he was out of his clothes too. Standing in his boxers, she could see the tip peeking out of the waistband and gulped. He was impressive even through the material that tried desperately to restrain him. Smiling a cocky smile, Henry started to pull his boxers down but Vicki grabbed him and pulled him to her. Rolling her eyes up at him, she kissed his stomach, laved her tongue around the tip that edged out and smiled as Henry's groans became deeper when she hooked her fingers in his waistband and pulled his shorts off. His erection bobbed free and much to Vicki's delight, this man was not only long but wide as well. Her dream was coming true before he eyes, this is exactly how she pictured him. Was he really there in her dreams or was this just her ultimate fantasy coming true? She didn't know and quite frankly at this point, she didn't care. She kissed the tip and then laved her tongue around the rim before taking the shaft in her hand. She stroked with her hand and used her lips to rim him gently then flattened her tongue on the underside. This action alone sent Henry into shudders, his legs shaking and twitching. No longer able to stand it, he stopped her and she was on the bed splayed out underneath him. Glancing toward the nightstand where he had the different items laid out, Vicki followed his eyes and saw his playful expression when they once again looked at one another.

"Do vampires like chocolate?" Vicki asked.

"Depends on what they are...eating toward," Henry breathed. Vicki's heart lept at the innuendo. Bending to kiss her again, his hard length pressed against her and instinctively, she arched into him and moaned. Henry picked up the bowl of melted chocolate drizzling it along the valley of her breasts, down her stomach and let the warm liquid fall into the crevice of her soft mound of curls. Vicki hissed in pleasure, the warmth of the chocolate mixing with the wetness pooling between her legs. Henry quickly began his snack of chocolate covered Vicki, licking the valley between her breasts first. Once he had thoroughly cleaned her up, his mouth found her pebbled nipple and took it between his soft lips. With his mouth closed, his tongue flicked it with vampire speed eliciting cries of passion from Vicki's parted lips. Her hands travelled to his head and her fingers entwined in his soft, brown curls. His free hand found her neglected breast pulsing with desire and ready to be tended to. Vicki was near thrashing underneath him, her desire reaching epic proportions. His downward pattern continued until he reached her chocolate covered sex. By now, Vicki was on the edge of explosion but Henry, being talented in so many ways, decided to torture her a little longer thereby making her climax one she would never forget.

Pushing her legs up for better access, Vicki sighed and shuddered when he began to clean her even more thoroughly there than he had at her breasts. Gently, he parted her legs, opening her fully to his ministrations growling as he inhaled her scent. The mixture of Vicki and chocolate was almost enough to push him over the edge. Cleaning the sweetness from her, he realized that she herself tasted just as sweet and her juices flowed readily. Darting in and out while licking up and down, Vicki was nearly off the bed calling his name and beggin him to finish. She kept building, then stopping, over and over and that is exactly what Henry wanted. Finally, Henry found her pulsing, firm nub and taking it in his mouth, his tongue rolled her softly at first then began to alternate flicking, sucking and twirling. Slipping his fingers inside of her warm, wet walls, he found that engorged sweet spot inside and began to rub. Vicki cried out and arched into him letting Henry she was very close. Rubbing faster coupled with his aggressive suckling and flicking, Vicki soon found herself convulsing with such force she made no sound with the first few then started to moan and grunt with the ones that followed. Her body was hot, her core was hotter and Henry was ready to take her over and make her his.

Leaning over her, he stared into her post-orgasmic face and smiled, "Ready?" he whispered. Vicki reached up and wiped chocolate from the corner of his mouth and nodded.

With a sly grin, Vicki licked her lips and said, "Are YOU ready?"


	32. Expectations

Henry tilted his head and hoped her intentions were very dirty. Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed him over on his back and had the whipped cream in her hand.

"Vicki, I want to be inside of you," Henry told her.

Shaking the can she said, "You will. I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine."

As Vicki squirted the cold cream on Henry's shaft he groaned. He hissed and arched when her lips met his engorged tip. Licking the cream as it melted on his warm member, she lapped and swirled her tongue around, moaning for added effect. The moaning wasn't for effect only, she was seriously turned on. Henry arched into her, bucking somewhat, small spasms were in response to her talented tongue. Her hand wrapped around his shaft and squeezed sending blood to the ultra senstive tip and increasing the sensation when Vicki's mouth sucked his purple tip. Henry grunted grabbed her hair softly and sighed. Taking him as far in as she could, she played with his sac and rimmed him as she stroked him quickly. Feeling him begin to tremble, she stopped abruptly and climbed atop of him. Grabbing her hips, Henry entered her, spearing her in one swift move and penetrating her wet walls. Vicki sat up to take him in completely. Henry bucked into her to stretch her out shivering slightly as her sheath pulled and sucked at him. She threw her head back and sighed, shivering and shuddering when he finally filled her to her womb. Vicki's nails dug into his chest as she began to rock slowly back and forth. His tip hit that spot yet again and her movements became more verocious with each thrust.

Vicki was so lost in what she was doing, she didn't feel Henry flip them over and once again, she found herself underneath him.

"I want to see you while we are one, the first time together is important to me," Henry told her. His eyes had bled black but his fangs were not yet descended. Vicki wanted to see him too and what she saw, she liked. His face was tender and compassionate, his lips soft and supple and his eyes, black orbs and all, were sexy as hell. Her hands wrapped around his biceps and she felt them ripple with each thrust that brought them closer to the end. Tears began to form in her eyes and Henry stopped.

"Vicki, am I hurting you?" he brushed her hair away from her face.

"No.." she said softly, her lip trembling.

"Then, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. This is just..so.." Vicki choked back a full blown sob and finally said, "beautiful, wonderful and much more than I expected. You're right, making love is much more than just having sex."

"Are you saying you think you love me Victoria Nelson?" Henry smiled coyly, his eyes still black.

"No, I didn't say that," she corrected him. Henry shoved into her, hard and deep. Vicki closed her eyes and grunted.

"How about that? Think you could learn to love," another hard push,"that?" he whispered in her ear. Vicki grunted and shuddered and muttered a soft, "oh yes."

Henry continued his thrusting pushing to the limits of what he thought was safe for her but she begged harder, deeper, faster. Vicki turned her neck and exposed it to him, knowing she was close as was he. His fangs dropped and Henry found that vein in her neck just below the surface that was racing with her sweet nectar. Vicki was lost, the tickle in her stomach signaling another multiple release and the sting of his fangs was nothing compared to the feelings of euphoria that swept through her at that very moment. The spasms in her drew Henry further than he thought possible and sent him over with her. Henry roared and Vicki cried out as she clutched Henry's arms so tightly she drew blood.

Sweating from their lovemaking, Henry lay beside of her and drew her up into his arms, cuddling together, just as he had promised at one time. She, surprisingly, didn't resist. Her breathing told him she was spent but satiated beyond anything she'd experienced before. They were both sticky but neither cared, a shower would be in order once they recovered.

"Henry?" Vicki said. Her head lay on his chest, her hand tucked under his side and her leg thrown over his.

"Yes?"

"What do you expect from me?"

"Only what you can give," he answered. His arm held her to him, his hand rubbed her back in gently circles.

Vicki lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest.

"I don't make promises I can't keep but I can tell you that I feel something I haven't felt in long time and that was the best I've ever had, thank you," she kissed his chest and lay her head back down.

Henry smiled. He knew this could be the beginning of something wonderful for them both and he was willing to wait as long as she needed, he did, after all have eternity.

Things would change unexpectedly for them both....


	33. Showertime

Vicki and Henry made love several more times throughout the night. Vicki did things to Henry he didn't think were humanly possible. Henry in turn, did the same to Vicki. At one point, she asked him to just be a man, no vampire, no biting, she wanted just Henry. When they completed that session, which she thought would be the last for the evening as dawn was fast approaching, Vicki told him that was the best she'd had with any man ever.

"You mean, the other times were not good?" Henry asked, a look of worry etched upon his handsome face.

"No," he frowned with that response until she said, "they were fanfuckingtastic but I wanted to see if the man Henry compared to the vampire Henry." She lazily traced the lines on his chest.

"And?"

She looked into his face and said in all seriousness, "You don't disappoint in either area, Henry." With a quick kiss, she told him she needed to shower and he promptly followed her in.

Vicki shot a look at him, glancing down, "You clearly have the recovery time of a teenager, nothin' wrong with that." She licked her lips and turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it. Henry asked, "May I?" before he stepped in, knowing full well the answer would be yes. Putting her under the warm water, he turned her to face him and bent her head back, wetting her hair.

"Henry, what are you doing?"

"Washing your hair, turn around," he ordered. His erection poked her in the stomach eliciting a soft grunt and moan from her half-parted lips.

"What do you know about washing a woman's hair?" she asked, her eyes closed and her body relaxing as he scrubbed and massaged the scented soap into her hair.

"You'd be surprised at what you learn over the centuries," he whispered into her ear. Another innuendo, damn him she thought to herself.

"I'll bet," she muttered back. After conditioning her thick hair, he began to wash her back with a very soft smelling soap. Still feeling his erection which seemed to be getting more engorged, she bit her lip to stifle a moan. Henry knew she was aroused, his keen vampire senses told him just how aroused she was. Still, he held back. Vicki turned and looked at him, her eyes heavy with desire. This was the most erotic and sexually charged shower she'd ever had. This night truly was a night of many firsts for her.

Knowing exactly what she wanted, he bent to take her in his mouth again. His tongue tasted the cream she'd used earlier as it still lingered somewhat and underneath that, he tasted just Vicki. She was sweet yet spicy and tangy. She answered his kiss deeply and passionately. A free hand found her slick breast and fingered her nipples, one at a time. He rolled and rubbed her toward another bout with ecstasy. Henry's shower was large enough to accomodate them both without issue. Finally, after much anticipatory foreplay, Henry turned Vicki and bent her over. Vicki braced herself on his shower wall and cried out when he entered her, filling her yet again with his steely rod. Vicki was amazed not only with his prowess but that with each round of hot lovemaking, his erection seemed to get harder. His hands held her hips for balance and Vicki participated in the thrusting by rolling down onto him faster and faster. Her climax hit so hard Henry had to hold her tightly to keep her upright. He knew she would have bruises but at that moment, she didn't feel anything but Henry following her climax with one of his own, his legs trembling and threatening to give way. Henry's grunts and groans told Vicki she had given him another round of mind-blowing sex just as he had given her. Standing up, she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. He bent, kissed her softly several times then just held her close, no words were needed. For a few moments, they stood holding one another in the shower, the warm water running over them in streams before circling the drain.

Vicki redressed in one of Henry's oversized shirts and a pair of his silk boxers. Henry growled that she looked sexier than ever.

"Henry, dearest, you're about to die for the day and I need to rest too," she sighed only half meaning it.

"I know but I just can't seem to get enough of you," he nuzzled her neck again. He smiled when he noticed that he had marked her more times than he realized. Vicki playfully slapped him and climbed into his bed. They spooned together and Vicki let out a sigh.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head no,"Not a thing. There is one perk to being with you Henry."

"Just one?" he teased.

"Well no but one big one."

"And that is?"

"No birth control worries." Henry was uncharacteristically silent. Vicki turned in his arms and saw a strange look on his face, almost as if she had hurt him.

"I'm sorry Henry, I didn't me..." he cut her off.

"It's okay, I've always dreamed of children knowing that isn't possible but with Coreen's little one coming, I feel that it's going to be almost like one of my own," he smiled.

Vicki turned away again and wished she'd kept that to herself. It was never her intention to hurt him and yet she felt like she did. Soon, the nights events took their toll on her body and mind. She drifted off to sleep before Henry took his last breath. Henry tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her neck. She stirred slightly and moaned but never woke up.

"I love you Vicki, no matter how you feel about me, I will always love you."

With that, he took his last breath. The next afternoon, Vicki awoke, crawled out from under the now dead Henry and got dressed. Before she left, she sat beside him and put her hand on his chest.

"Oh Henry, the things you do to me, you have no idea," she kissed him on his cool lips and carefully left his bedroom. Sighing as she looked around one last time to make sure she'd gotten everything, she called a cab to meet her downstairs. Vicki looked at her cell and saw ten missed calls from Coreen.

"Damn!" Vicki had completely forgotten to call Coreen and leave her a voicemail that she would be late. Dialing quickly, she was impatient as she waited for her to answer.

"Vicki Nelson Inves..." Vicki cut her off.

"Hey! It's me..sorry I didn't call but I slept late," Vicki told her assistant. She heard Coreen giggle on the other end.

"Uh..no problem Vicki, nothing too pressing right now," she giggled, she was sure of it.

"Are you laughing?" Vicki narrowed her eyes as she got into the elevator. Greg the doorman was off for the day shift and someone named Chris was there. Chris only nodded politely and Vicki nodded back.

"No, no.." Coreen lied. More snickering and giggling.

"Uh.." Coreen cleared her throat, "how was the date?"

"It was great, thanks for asking, " Vicki didn't offer more info. Coreen would have to interrogate her when she got back.

Vicki babbled she would be in in about an hour. Coreen told her politely see you then and hung up the phone. Coreen smiled wryly to herself and sighed.

"We'll see how good it really was.."


	34. Epilogue

The next few weeks were interesting for Vicki, Henry and Coreen. Coreen became very in tune with her body, opting for very healthy eating and natural herbs rather than prenatal vitamins. Vicki was impressed with her maturity. Secretly, when she saw Henry and Coreen together, talking and laughing about the baby, she felt just a twinge of jealousy. A month after she and Henry had secretly, or so she thought, started dating, she began to get more jealous than usual. Vicki didn't tell anyone about her and Henry, least of all Coreen. She left everyone with the thought it was a one date deal when in reality, it had become a full blown relationship. Coreen had been disappointed but never told Vicki exactly why.

Coreen was now four months along and they were headed to her sonogram visit.

"I hope we know what it is," Coreen beamed.

"That would be great wouldn't it," Henry added. Vicki ground her teeth and tapped so hard at the keys that Henry and Coreen both turned to look at her.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Coreen asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Vicki growled. Henry, of course, could sense her aggrivation and anger.

"Coreen, can you give us a minute?" Henry nodded. Coreen shrugged and went into her office, closing the door behind her.

"What?" Vicki snapped.

"What's wrong?" Henry sat on the edge of her desk. Vicki's heart raced, his proximity to her was like a drug she couldn't get enough of. Within the last week or so, her libido had been in overdrive. She desired Henry 24/7. That pissed her off too, she was not used to being so needy with a man.

"Nothing, run along and play daddy," the minute the words left her mouth, Vicki could have kicked herself. Henry was gone with a breeze, before Vicki could even apologize. This was unlike her, why be so jealous? It's not as if she'd even told Henry she loved him, Coreen needed someone and big deal if it happened to be Henry, right? she told herself. No, not right she told herself again.

Vicki finished what she was doing, locked up and went to a local burger joint. She hadn't eaten all day and was famished. While sitting by herself in the courtyard of the restaurant eating, Mike suddenly appeared beside her.

"Hey Vic, what's up?" he smiled. Vicki glared at him.

"Nothing Mike, eating, see?" she unnecessarily pointed to her half-eaten burger. Mike tilted his head and started to say something but was interrupted.

"Hey Mike!" Vicki recognized that voice, Kate. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Kate waving and Mike responding with a big goofy grin and a wave back.

"You'd better go," Vicki nodded as she took a sip of soda.

"No, we are eating here, we love it," Kate was indeed making her way inside then winding back out to the courtyard. Vicki rolled her eyes and suddenly lost her appetite.

"I was going anyway," she stood to leave.

"Hey, you okay?" Mike asked. His brow was furrowed with worry, his eyes showed his deep concern for Vicki.

Vicki lightly shrugged away from the light hold he had on her upper arm, said "yeah" and walked away. Mike stared after her, took out his cell phone and dialed. Kate joined him and pecked him lightly on the cheek. Vicki never looked back to see Mike lean into that peck but she suspected he did.

Things were changing for Vicki. She didn't like feeling trapped or attached to someone so much yet that's exactly how she felt with Henry. Her decision to wall up her heart was not an easy one but she felt it was a necessary one. It would be safer for her, the relationship as it were was becoming too much and Vicki knew it was time to run away.

Some things, you just can't run away from.....

TO BE CONTINUED........


End file.
